


Our Bedroom After the War

by wisegirl285



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Annabeth Chase - Freeform, Comfort, Dark!Percy, Depression, F/M, Friendship, Heroes of Olympus, HoO - Freeform, Love, PJO, Romance, Self-Harm, Suicide, after hoo, percabeth, percy jackson - Freeform, suicidal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-21 20:23:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 18
Words: 38,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3704019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisegirl285/pseuds/wisegirl285
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coming back home should've been Percy's dream come true, after all it meant he'd lived through his second war and he was finally getting a chance to live a normal life, right? Oh, how he wished it were that easy. There's a part that's never told about heroes and legends, it's the part that's easiest to hide because everyone so desperately wants to avoid and forget, and Percy knows just why. It's the part that no one will talk about in broad daylight, but they'll whisper around in dark corners and conversations on the phone. It's the part that completely takes over when it's 4:00 am, and you cant's sleep. It's the part that makes you wish there'd been a different ending to the same story. That's the part that Percy hadn't quite paid attention to when he'd decided to come back home.</p>
<p>A short fic about what happens to our favorite hero, once everything is over.<br/>~darkPercy</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fire-Escapes and White Lies

One of the things Percy Jackson had never internalized was just how hard coming back home could be.

Probably, because he'd just assumed that he'd die along the journey to stop the giants, maybe because he never believed he'd actually make it back, at least not in one piece anyway. But nevertheless, here he was staring at his old bedroom celling with the city's restless noise ringing outside his window. Not much had changed, his room was still messy and crowded with old junk from Camp Half-Blood, he guessed his mom hadn't gone in it since he went missing. He knew it was illogical, but somehow he felt like a stranger in his own home, like this place, these memories were no longer his.

He glanced at the old alarm clock by his bedside table. 2:07 A.M. He grunted and turned to his window. Outside, he could see faint lights shinning through the binds. Had he really been staring at the celling for the past 3 hours? Maybe, he didn't know. Time seemed to move a lot slower when he was by himself.

Percy knew he should go to sleep, you'd think that after two weeks without getting any decent rest he'd be exhausted, but he simply couldn't close his eyes. The way he saw it, the more he'd put it off the better it would be when he finally got it, but lately it seemed that it was the complete opposite. He wanted to believe that he was fine, that the darkness didn't frighten him. He wanted to believe that everything could eventually go back to normal, but he knew enough about disappointment to know that hoping was simply not good enough. Maybe it was the way the lights outside his apartment cast weird shadows that seemed to come alive, or maybe it was a side-effect of almost dying so many times. Either way, all Percy knew was that he couldn't go back, not now, not when everything was still so fresh in his memory.

He didn't want to think about it, he knew that if he did he would just make it worse for himself, that all the nightmares would just feel a lot more real. He realized his hands had turned into fists, his nails were digging into the back of his hands but he didn't feel pain. That was another thing, he didn't feel much of anything anymore, not like he used to. Everything hit him like tidal waves, like first he could be drowning in paralyzing fear and then in an instant he could feel nothing at all.

Numb, that's how he felt.

He glanced back at the alarm clock, 2:22 A.M., 15 minutes had passed. He felt like he was being eaten alive, like if he just stayed there he would drown in his own thoughts. How ironic, he thought, a son of Poseidon drowning. It always came to that, to the same thought over and over. It was like it was permanently scarred into his brain, maybe that was it, maybe it was the fates' way of telling him his time was up, that his days were outnumbered.

Percy could theorize all he wanted but the truth was, it was all in his head. He came to the same conclusion every night, and he knew he was right. All the anxiety and paranoia he was feeling, it wasn't real, he knew that, and maybe that's what scared him the most. He got up, preforming the same ritual for the 7th night in a row. When it came down to the point where he felt like the walls were closing in on him, like his head would burst open and let the darkness consume him, when his knuckle turned white and he'd bite his lip so hard he could taste the blood on the tip of his tongue, that's when he'd get up. He'd put on some ratty jeans, old sneakers and a hoodie, open his window and he'd leave through the fire-escape.

He didn't know where he was going, it was the middle of the night and all he could think of was walking. He'd walk and walk and walk until he couldn't feel his feet anymore, until he lost track of time and he got lost inside the city. The thing about New York after dark is that it starts losing its glamour. Like an old painting in a museum, it slowly starts cracking and shedding away everything that once made it fascinating, until suddenly all that was left in its place was the ghost of what it used to look like. Lately Percy could relate to that feeling.

Ever since the Argo II, he'd been so used to pretending to be okay, that for a moment he'd almost convinced himself. Maybe it'd worked for some time, but that façade had grown old.

Just keep walking,

He never paid close attention to where he was going, but he always ended up in the same place.

What are you doing? Why are you running? Be a man, be a hero,

a small voice whispered in the back of his mind. Why was he running? He didn't know, or maybe he did but he didn't have time to think about it. He was tired, he didn't want to be the hero, not anymore. He never asked for this, any of it, so why did it matter? Who cared if he ran or not, the war was over, there was nothing left to fight for, nothing left to defend. Nothing. The word kept popping up in Percy's mind.

He should've been glad that the war is over, that he could now live a normal life, but he's wasn't. His legs felt like jelly but he was finally there. He stood before one of the city's most famous attractions, Brooklyn Bridge.

During the day, the bridge was crowded with tourists and bikers and street artist trying to sell you stuff, but at this time there wasn't a soul around. Percy had been coming here for the last week or so, he found it soothed him to stand at the edge of the rails and watch the water below. He wasn't afraid of heights, and he wasn't afraid of falling. He knew, even if he jumped and fell in the water he'd survive, so there really was no risk.

The wind blew in his face and he could feel his feet dangling in the air. If Annabeth had been there she would probably be telling him historical facts about the bridge. Annabeth. He thought about calling her, but she was probably asleep, and even if she'd been awake, what would he say? Hey Annabeth, I know it's late and all, and you were probably asleep but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me by this creepy old bridge, sounds like fun, right? Besides, Percy had noticed she'd been avoiding him ever since they got out of the pit. When she spoke with him she was distant and anxious, and Percy knew exactly why. She was scared of him, and why wouldn't she be. She knew him better than anyone else, she could see past everything, she was Annabeth she could see what he really was. A monster. Even his own girlfriend was scared of him.

Way to go, Jackson,

He wanted to call her, he really did, but she wouldn't have answered, or at least he didn't think she would. Percy realized he was alone, the same way he'd been before he found out he was a demigod, he was completely alone. Was this really it? Was this really the way he would go? Not with a fight, or because of some great prophecy, but alone, with no one around to even notice he was gone.

He felt angry, he felt angry at the gods, at himself, even at Annabeth for not being there. He needed her, he didn't know how to tell her but he needed her to run her hands through his hair and tell him he was fine, maybe then if even for just a few moments, he'd believe it. His hands were shaking and his breaths were short and hallow, how much time had passed? It didn't feel like much but out the corner of his eye he could see the sun beginning to rise.

He knew too well that it would't be long before the entire platform filled with joggers and bikers and people walking their dogs, so he got of the railing and left. The walk home felt a lot faster than it should've. He passed by Annabeth's building, and considered visiting her. Maybe she was awake, and she was working on some designs in her laptop, maybe she'd know what to say to make him not feel as shitty as he did, maybe she'd know how to fix him, how to fix all of it; or maybe she wouldn't have any answers. Either way Percy wanted her, he wanted to feel her besides him, to hear her voice say his name, maybe that would've done the trick.

He kept walking, until the it was already dawn and he reached his building. He climbed the fire-escape and went inside his window, and laid on his bed. He would stay like that until his mom knocked on his door a few hours later, then he'd get up, say "Good morning." and pretend.

It scared him how good he was getting at it.


	2. Half-Truths and Midnight Calls

There was absolutely nothing worse than lying to his mom, Percy decided.

What was happening? One second they were eating and talking about the weather channel and then suddenly, BAM! The room was silent, and he could feel his parents eyes burning through him.

"Percy…" She had started, in her mom voice. He feared what would come after that statement. "–Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He snapped.

He didn't know why he was angry, wasn't that it, wasn't that what he wanted after all? Someone to care? He did, but it didn't feel right. He didn't want to talk about it, he couldn't, specially not at the dinner table.

"I'm–I'm fine really." He said, trying his best to sound calmer.

He looked at his mother in the eyes and smiled. Everything about that smile was fake, his lips were stretched out to wide and his eyes remained emotionless, like blank canvases.

"Well, I'm just worried about you, we both are. You've been…" She hesitated trying to find the right words. "Distant."  
He didn't meet her eyes this time.

"You've also been eating less, going out less, and I always see you passed out in the couch, are you even sleeping at night?" She asked.

She was right, everything she'd said was true, but he didn't want her to believe it. She wanted her to believe that he was fine, that her son was perfectly fine. He opened his mouth to speak but Paul interrupted him.

"Don't even try to deny it. The neighbor saw you climb out the fire-escape last night. He says you've been doing that for days?"  
He took his glasses off. His voice was stern and serious, like he was about to give him a lesson on the importance of Shakespeare's MacBeth.

"What's going on with you?"

Although he asked the same question his mom did, it felt graver in his voice. He looked at both of them, they both had the same look in their faces, like the didn't recognize Percy.

"I–uh, I've been having some trouble falling asleep, sometimes I–I take a walk and it calms me down." He answered.

His shoulders were slumped and his hair was falling on his face. It was so long it almost covered his eyes and everyday it looked more like a mop of black, than actual hair.

"Percy, you can't just walk around the city alone at night! Something could happen to you, and why didn't you tell us? We could've helped!"

His mom kept saying things but Percy couldn't quite understand them. All he knew was that in the midst of her questioning and yelling she pulled him into a hug. She sighed, like she knew he was no longer listening.

"Look, Percy, there's nothing wrong with asking for help… We'll see what we can do." She said in his ear and gave him a smile.  
He nodded.

There wasn't much to talk about after that conversation. He felt as if he should've said something else, like that not sleeping was only part of the problem, and solving wouldn't stop him from feeling like he did, but he didn't. The timing felt off, and besides he already knew his mom was worried about him, he didn't want to bother her anymore, still… He wanted to talk to somebody, maybe that would help.

After the whole incident, Percy excused himself and went back to his room. He closed the door, looked for his cellphone and dialed the first number he could think of. Annabeth. They had talked since the war, but it was never about anything important, just things to fill the silence. The phone rang a couple of times before someone finally picked up.

"Hello?" Said the familiar voice.

"Hey, it's me, Percy." He mumbled into the phone.

"I know who it is seaweed brain, I have this thing called 'caller id', ever heard of it?"

He could tell she was smiling on the other line and he smiled too.

"Ha-ha, yeah wise girl…" He let out a fake laugh.

"What's up? You sound tired…" She said and he sighed.

"Yeah, um my mom got all worried, she thinks I'm not sleeping and.. yeah."

"Well, are you?"

"Well, no… but I don't want her to freak out." She sighed.

"Gods you're such a seaweed brain."

He smiled at the sound of the old nickname, it reminded him of better times.

"Yeah, I guess I am." He said.

When had things gotten so hard between them? He loved her, he was sure he loved her but here they were, once again trying hard to fill up the empty spaces.

"So how's school? I've barely seen you." He asked and she hesitated.

"No, it's fine, lot's of work though. Hey, Percy, I have to go. Just, don't do anything stupid." She said and he slumped on his bed.

"No, uh yeah, I mean, I won't. You have to go, we'll talk later."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Bye Percy. "

" Yeah, bye…wait Annabeth I–" He was cut off by a long beep. She'd hung up.

I love you, he thought, throwing the phone to the side.

A couple days had passed since he'd had the conversation at the dinner table with his mom and Paul. The day after the event, his mom had come into his room and given him a little pack of pills. Percy had been sitting in his bed. He looked disheveled, his hair was sticking out in all directions and his eyes looked sunken and dull. "What's this?" He asked, taking the little packet from his mom's hands.

"They're sleeping pills. I thought that since you were having trouble sleeping, they would help you while we looked for something better."

She didn't look at him while she spoke but when she did her blue eyes were watery. She gave him a soft smile and Percy choked up.

"Th–Thanks mom…" He said and gave her a small hug.

He'd missed her so much during the past months. The guilt had been eating him alive ever since he'd woken up from Hera's sleeping curse. He'd managed to call his mom and leave a voicemail when he went to Alaska with Frank and Hazel, but he knew that hadn't been enough. He couldn't help feeling awful about everything, like it'd been his fault. Here he was, after putting her through months of torment here he was still worrying her. She let him go and ruffled his hair.

"What can I say, you'll always be my baby boy." She smiled at him and left his room.


	3. White Coats and Bright Lights

Now he was standing before his bathroom's sink, staring at himself in the mirror. He noticed he really did look like shit.

His hair looked like a black rat's nest, his face looked sunken and his eyes looked baggy and tired. He stood there awkwardly, trying to avoid eye-contact with himself in the mirror. He took the packet of pills and noticed the label was sticking out.

For adult use, take two tablets one hour before sleeping, He read it in his mind and looked at himself back in the mirror.

He needed this, he needed to rest. He was exhausted, irritable, and he knew if he kept it up, fatigue would sooner or later overwhelm him and that would just worry his mom even more. He couldn't do that to her. The problem was that he'd had these tablets for three days now and they hadn't worked so far.

He'd followed the instructions, but it seemed his body was physically fighting to stay of high alert all the time. When he closed his eyes, he'd find himself reliving Tartarus over and over again.

His hands were shaking and he reminded himself of an old drunk that used to live one floor above his mom and him when he was younger. Whenever he wasn't drunk his bloodshot eyes would search the room frantically and his hand would shake. That's how Percy looked, he looked manic. Maybe he was becoming delusional from all the nightmares or maybe the lack of sleep had finally kicked in, either way all he knew was that he wanted to close his eyes and not think for he'd pass out for a week and he'd forget what it was like to be Perseus Jackson for a while.

He took the packet and propped a few pills in his mouth. Then, he propped a few more. He looked at the packet in his hands. How many had he even taken? He didn't know, he guessed more than two. He felt dizzy, yep, definitely more than two. He was tired, he was so tired, all he wanted was to get in his bed and let the days pass by him.

He stumbled out the bathroom and into the hallway to his room. His vision was blurring, and he could feel his heartbeat slow down. He was almost in his room, but he lost his balance. Thump! He couldn't reach the door handle.

"Percy?"

He heard someone call but the voice felt too far away. His eyes were beginning to close, but this time he could no longer see the monsters. He no longer felt real, he didn't feel like a concrete object, instead he felt like a faraway dream.

As he lay on the cold wooden floor, Percy wondered if this was what it felt like to die.

When Percy woke up he was in a bright white room and he had no idea how he'd gotten there.

The light was blinding him and for a second he thought he'd actually died. Was it awful that his heart had raced just then, maybe. He thought he was inside some weird room in the Underworld, Hades had specially reserved for him, until he saw his mom and Paul and guy with a white coat.

"Name: Perseus Jackson. Age: 17. Caucasian. Male. Blood Type: AB. Status: Stable. Found unconscious in his home with low blood pressure and respiratory distress after an overdose of sleeping pills. Suspected suicide attempt–" 

" I wasn't trying to kill myself." Percy interrupted the guy in the white coat before he could finish reading.

"Percy…" 

"I wasn't trying to kill myself!" He repeated cutting of his mom.

Her curly hair was pulled into an unruly bun and her eyes were wide and bloodshot, her lips were pursed. Paul was standing behind her, his arms were crossed and he was leaning against the window. Neither of them looked like they had slept very well.

Sleep.

Percy remembered what had happened. He was just trying to sleep, but apparently no one else seemed to care. The lab coat guy, who Percy assumed was a doctor of some kind, lowered the file and looked at Percy. He looked like he was in his mid forties, with grayish blonde hair, a five o'clock shadow and big pale blue eyes.

"Mr. Jackson, the recommended intake of an over-the-counter sleeping pill is two tablets, maybe five at most. What logical explanation could you possibly have for taking eight tablets?"

His voice was stern and his eyes were fixed on Percy.

The truth was, Percy didn't have a logical explanation for much of anything these days, but he wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. He ran his hand through his hair

"I hadn't been sleeping well, I just wanted to get some rest. I guess I must've counted wrong…" He said.

"You counted wrong?" The doctor repeated and Percy nodded.

He didn't look at his mom while he spoke. He wasn't exactly lying, he had miscalculated by a lot how many pills he'd taken, but it hadn't been completely accidental either.

"Percy you had us scared to death!" His mom said and her voice wavered for a moment.

"I wasn't–I'm not lying, I wasn't trying to do anything! I just wanted to sleep!" Percy said.

His voice grew more agitated. He looked at his mom, trying to find some sign that she believed him, but her face was emotionless. Everything seemed like a bad dream, except it wasn't, it was his life and the mess he'd made of it. The doctor, Percy noticed, was writing something into his file.

"Have you've been experiencing any irritability, anxiety, maybe a decline in past hobbies, aside from your restlessness, Mr. Jackson?" He asked. "

Um, no, no, I'm fine." Percy hesitated.

That was a total lie, but he hoped the doctor believed him.

"I see…" He nodded and wrote something else down.

"What are you writing?" Percy asked looking at the folder, the doctor looked at him and shrugged.

"Just my observations." He responded.  
He closed Percy's folder and turned to his parents.

"Normally in cases like this, we require the patient stay for a period of seventy-two hours under observation, just to be safe. It would also be propitious for him to acquire some sort of psychiatric or psychological treatment.

Percy scoffed.

"What? Seventy-two hours? Mom!"  
He looked from the doctor to his mother who was still sitting in the chair, Paul was besides her.

"Guys, that's– that's insane, I can't spend three days here, what about Annabeth or my friends…"

He wanted to keep making excuses so that his parents would believe him, but it seemed the more he spoke the less convinced they seemed. His mother looked at the doctor and stood up.

"Thank you, Dr. Norton, if we could further discuss this outside." Sally said and the doctor nodded.

He gave Percy a cordial smile before heading out his room, his mom and Paul began to follow him. "Mom! Paul! Guys c'mon…" He said, his mom just turned to him and sighed.

"We're sorry Percy, but it's for the best." Said Paul, his glasses were crooked and he gave Percy a small smile.

They left without saying much more. Percy slumped himself on the bed, he head was throbbing and his eyes stung. He'd fucked up, he'd fucked up incredibly. He couldn't help thinking two things: One, that Annabeth would kill him when she found out, and Two, he'd never felt more alone.


	4. Cherry Lips and Yellow Cars

Percy was helping Paul carry his suitcase up the stairs when his phone started ringing.

About a week had passed since his attempt, or at least that's what everyone around him had been calling it. Apparently before his meeting with Dr. Norton, he had been comatose for four days. He'd spent the last week, staring at walls, having nurses give him various colored pills and have Dr. Norton question him for about two hours, two times a day.

As if that hadn't been enough torture, he hadn't been able to use his phone or any type of electronic device. All he did was sleep, answer questions, take pills, repeat. He didn't feel better, but he didn't feel worse either. At least he wasn't so tired anymore, that was a they finished carrying the bad up the stairs Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out phone.

Ten missed calls: Annabeth.

"Um, I'm gonna go take this." He said looking up, from his phone to Paul, who simply nodded.

Neither of his parents had said much during the car ride, like they were constantly looking for the right words to say to him. They were treating him as if he was made of glass, one wrong move and he would shatter to pieces.

He hated that.

He dialed the number quickly and locked himself in his room. He'd guessed by now that Annabeth knew what had happened, after he'd gone MIA for a week, he assumed his parents would've told her, but he wasn't quite sure who else knew. He didn't like the idea of everyone treating him like he was helpless, like he needed to be looked out for. After all, everything had been an accident, a huge misunderstanding. He was sure of it.

After about two rings a voice picked up.

"PERCY-FUCKING-JACKSON YOU COMPLETE IDIOT!" Annabeth screamed into the phone.

Percy smiled, he was glad to have someone be so blunt for the first time in days.

"Hello to you too wise girl." He greeted.

"Oh don't give me that shit! What the hell were you thinking! I call you to see if you want to hang out, and much to my surprise your MOM PICKS UP AND TELLS ME YOU'RE IN THE HOSPITAL!"

There was the screaming again.

"Yeah, sorry about that–"

"No, you shut up and listen! Gods Percy, what the hell is going on with you?"

She wasn't screaming anymore, there was genuine concern in her voice. He'd missed her, even though she was angry, she missed the sound of her voice.

"I don't know… I mean, everything that happened was and accident. I was just trying to get some sleep and now my parents think I'm suicidal so, yeah I don't know."  
He wasn't trying to downplay what had happened, but there was no point in making it a bigger issue for Annabeth to lecture him on.

"No shit… Gods Percy, I thought you were dead…"

The line was silent.

"That makes two of us." He said and he could almost feel Annabeth glaring at him and shaking her head.

"Your head is so full of kelp seaweed brain." She teased and he smiled.

"I'm sorry about that, I really didn't mean to scare anyone."

It'd been weeks since they'd talk like this, without having to think so much about what to say. Percy missed it.

"I know… it's just you didn't answer so I didn't know what to think… I'm sorry for not calling you before, I really was busy but it could've waited. I should've called you…"  
Her voice was soft, almost as if she were whispering.

"Hey, we're here now, and I say we should go out and you know not think for a while." He said trying to clear the air.

There was a pause.

"Aren't you still at the hospital?" She asked.

"I got let out today." Another pause. Percy wondered what she was thinking.

"Pick me up in two hours at Fifty-Second West and Eighth , and don't be late." He smiled.

"I'll see you later wise girl."

"Good-bye Jackson." She said and hung up.

For the first time in weeks, he was actually looking forward to something. He knew he should've probably told his parents that he was heading out, or that he should've at least left a note, but his mind could only focus on one thing at a time. Right now, it was focusing on seeing Annabeth. He grabbed a dark blue hoodie, Thirty-second West and Eighth, and don't be late. Her voice echoed in his mind. He could hear Paul and Sally talking about something, probably him. Without further debate, he opened his window and climbed down the fire-escape, thinking about a certain girl with princess curls and stormy eyes.

It was now 3:45 P.M., and Percy was exactly fifteen minutes late.

He rushed past some tourists and bikers in hopes of saving some time but he had no such luck. When he saw her, she was glancing at her phone impatiently and tapping her foot on the pavement.

She was wearing jeans, converse and some old band t-shirt. Her hair was loose and all over the place, like she had tried taming her locks but saw no point in it and had given up. He was happy to see her, he really was, but he couldn't gather enough energy for more than a simple smile. He might've been comatose for four days, but he still felt emotionally drained.

Percy crossed the street, walked up to her, and hugged her from behind. She was startled at first, almost ready to attack.

"Calm down it's me!" He said and let her turn around to face him.

He had to admit, Annabeth had seen better days. Although she was his girlfriend and he'd always think she looked beautiful, but something about her seemed off. Her tan had faded almost completely, her lips looked chapped, her eyes didn't seem to focus fast enough and he noticed her fingernails were almost completely torn off. Since when did Annabeth bite her nails? He thought about it but decided not to say anything.

"You scared me and you're late!" She said, she mustered a smile and wrapped her hands around his neck.

"Yeah, well considering that I had to walk here all the way from 112th I'd say I made it in record time!" Percy complained.

His hands had moved to her waist now, he smiled at her and she just arched her brow.

"Why didn't you just take the subway?" He shrugged uneasily.

"I forgot." He mumbled.

Although it was true he'd forgotten taking the subway would've made his trip a lot easier, he'd also wanted to avoid being underground for a while. If Annabeth sensed his uneasiness, she didn't mention it.

"Seaweed brain." She teased and kissed him.

For a second the whole world seemed to stop and Percy almost felt like things were back normal. It wasn't a particularly long or special kiss, but Percy felt his heart flutter. Kissing Annabeth always had that effect on him, no matter how many times he kissed her. Her lips were soft against his and he wanted to stay like that longer, but he realized that they were in a crowded street in the middle of the sidewalk and people were probably giving them weird looks. Maybe Annabeth had acknowledged this as well, because she quickly broke away from his lips.

"So where are we going?" She asked reaching for his hand. Percy hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Um…" 

"You didn't think where we were going, did you?"

"It may or may not have slipped my mind."  
He'd meant for it to come out like a statement but it sounded more like a question instead. He could see Annabeth rolling her eyes at him.

"How about we just walk until we come up with somewhere to go?" Percy suggested.

His hand felt sweaty against Annabeth's and he wondered if she noticed. Why was he so nervous around her all of the sudden? He shrugged off the thought and waited for Annabeth to answer.

She shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind."

The wind blew in their direction and Percy caught a wisp of her scent, it was a mix between lemon and orange.

"So, uh, why were you here?" He asked.

He knew she'd been working on rebuilding Olympus last year and the empire state, where the olympians were now situated, was just a few blocks down, but he'd thought that project was kind of dead now.

"Oh, well, I used to go to school here, during last year. I figured I should get all of my old stuff from there, seeing as I'm no longer a student." She said.

It sounded a bit muffled Percy noticed it was because she had her hand near her mouth. She looked down at the floor anxiously.

"Ok, that makes sense I guess." He said. He wanted to keep the conversation going, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. They kept walking, aimlessly through the city streets, but neither of them said anything.


	5. Pretty Girls and Brooklyn

After about ten minutes Percy thought maybe they could go over to the bridge.

It wasn't anything special, and it was probably still crowded at this time, but it felt right. Maybe it was because he would always go there during his worst nights, and somehow he thought having Annabeth with him would make it better. Percy felt guilty, he'd asked her out, only to not have any idea of where to take her, and show up late looking like a homeless person. His hair, he was sure, looked wilder than usual and his eyes still looked baggy.

He looked better than he had a week ago, but that in no way meant he looked anywhere remotely close to good. He hadn't even changed since he'd left the hospital. He was still wearing his old sneakers, that were covered in mud and dirt, some baggy dark grey sweatpants and a navy colored hoodie, he'd put on in an effort to try and hide his old t-shirt that reeked of antiseptics and medication.

It was a miracle Annabeth hadn't dumped him on the spot. He pulled her over to the side of the rode, with one foot on the sidewalk and the other on the road, he lifted one hand in the air to hail a cab.

"We're taking a taxi?" She asked and he nodded.

In less than 30 seconds, a bright yellow car swerved around the sidewalk and came to a halt next to them. It was a trick Paul had taught him, whenever you wanted to call a cab, just put one foot on the sidewalk and another on the street, it's like the universal: Hey, look at me! in taxi talk.

He opened the door, and Annabeth got in, he got in after her and closed the door.

"Where to?" Asked the driver.

"Chambers Street, please." Percy responded instinctively.

He wasn't quite sure how he knew the street name but he hoped he'd gotten it right. Annabeth looked at him questioningly. Brooklyn Bridge?, her eyes seemed to ask, Percy smiled and nodded his head. Even though, she'd lived in Manhattan for a lot less time than him, she probably knew more about the borough than he ever would. She gave him a small smile and turned to look outside the window. Percy noticed she still hadn't let go of his hand, that made him smile. He decided to look out the window as well, and watch the cars pass by. He almost felt like he was in a movie, but he knew no film could be as shitty as his life was. Between the hectic traffic and the overpopulated streets of the city, it took Percy and Annabeth more or less fifteen minutes to get to the bridge. Percy had paid for the cab fare with some money he'd found in his hoodie's pocket and now him and Annabeth were walking across the boardwalk, towards the bridge's middle shaft.

This is the spot, Percy thought as he reached the rails. It was almost twilight and it was unusually quiet. Only a few bikers and joggers passed by them, here and there; most of the street artist had already packed their stuff and were ready to leave, and the few tourists that remained were on the other side of the bridge. For the most part, Percy and Annabeth stood alone over the railing.

Percy glanced both ways, before hauling himself up.

"Percy, what in the holy hell are you doing?" Annabeth half-asked, half-shouted.

"Relax! I've done this, like" He paused for a moment, pretending to count.

"a hundred times before, it's fine!" He said.

He was now standing on the edge of the rails. Below them he could see the sea, it looked peaceful.

"Percy, I don't think those railings are meant for standing unless you're planning to jump!"

The way she said it, she sounded terrified for a second and Percy turned around to face her. He extended his arm.

"The view from here is great, c'mon wise girl." He said to her, his voice was sweet and she just looked at him like he was crazy.

"Jackson, I'm serious." She said. She had her arms crossed over her chest, like she was trying to hold herself together.

"So am I Chase!"  
She didn't look at him. He leaned down until he could see her eye-to-eye.

"Look, trust me, just give me five minutes, tops, then I'll promise not to do anymore stupid shit." He said, her grey eyes met his and she gave him a small smile.

"Please seaweed brain, you know better than to make promises you can't keep." She teased and took his hand.

He helped her up, until both of them were standing on the railing. Percy noticed that even in flats, he was only a few inches taller than her, so he thanked the gods she never wore heels because then she would've been just as tall as Percy was. Anyone who saw them would've probably thought they were crazy, and maybe they were, but no one seemed to pay attention to the two teenagers.

Annabeth let out a small breath, she was still holding on tightly to Percy's hand.

"What now?" She breathed.

He shrugged.

"We sit, and we enjoy this fabulous view." He answered, getting down and patting the spot besides him.

She nodded and sat down. Their feet were dangling below them and Annabeth had rested her head on his shoulder. They were quiet for a couple of minutes but Percy could feel Annabeth's gaze burn holes in him.

"What?" He asked.

"Hm?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He said and she pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"Like what?" She asked, her voice sounded small. He turned to face her

. "Like… like I'm one of your battle plans and you're trying to find out wether you should fix me or throw me away." He responded bluntly.

Annabeth's eyes looked stormier than ever. She softened her gaze and turned to look at the horizon in front of them. She let out a small breath.

"I.. I didn't mean to… I'm–" She began, her hand pulled away slightly.

"What's going on between us? One second we're fine, the next you are pulling away." He interrupted, he wasn't facing her anymore but he knew she was looking at him again.  
She sighed and twirled her hair, the way she did when she was nervous.

"I'm not!" She said in defiance and Percy sighed.

"I'm just–"

"Avoiding me…" Percy finished.  
His gaze fell to the water below them and his hair fell in his eyes. His hoodie had fallen off and he had a severe case of the bed-head. There was a small silence between them, before Annabeth responded.

"Why did you take those pills?" Her voice was small and shaky.

Percy was afraid to look at her, but he did it anyway. She hadn't moved, her eyes were still fixed on the skyline and her face remained emotionless, but the way she sat there, holding her hands to keep them from trembling. She looked a lot more like a scared kid than anything else. The only other times Percy had seen her like this, were back at the sea of monsters, when the sirens had told her the truth about her fatal flaw, and at Daedalus' labyrinth when he'd asked her to leave him behind.

"I-I told you, I didn't meant to, I was just trying to–"

"No!" her voice still sounded shaky but her tone was firm. "No… I don't want the bullshit answer Percy, I want the truth… Why'd you do it?" She asked again.  
This time she turned to face him. He shrugged.

"I–I… I don't know… I mean, I really hadn't been sleeping, like at all but… I don't know I…"  
He took a deep breath for a moment. His eyes were still fixed on the water below them and his voice kept getting stuck in his throat.

"I kind of wanted it all to stop, you know? I was just so… tired and I didn't know what to do, and… I don't know if this makes any sense or not, but I didn't want to be me, anymore… I–I don't think I wanted to kill myself but… I kind of didn't care if I died, either…" His voice broke at the end.

This was what he'd been so scared to admit, like if he'd say it out loud then it'd become a lot more real. Annabeth didn't say anything, she just looked at him and he felt her lean on his shoulder.

"..And when we were down there… In Tartarus, with Akhlys… I wanted to kill her Annabeth, I-I knew it was wrong but it just felt so…good, and I hated myself for it! I hated myself for thinking that and for scaring you, but... If you hadn't stopped me, I-I think I would've done it. " He said.  
His voice was coarse and muffled, and his eyes stung. His breaths were hallow and uneven.

"Percy…" Annabeth said but he just shook his head.

"I couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. I was… Disgusted with myself, I…" He stopped himself short for a second.  
His hands had turned into fists, his knuckles were white. His hands were shaking. He bit his lip so hard, he could taste the blood again.

"When Jason and I went to defeat Kym-whatever her name was, Polybotes, he tried to choke me with poison. I knew I could've easily moved it away if I tried but I didn't. I didn't even try, I felt... I felt like I deserved it, like I deserved to die the same way I had tried to kill that goddess…."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?" Annabeth said.

Her voice was small and her eyes had watered. There was nothing easy about hearing those words leave Percy's mouth, seeing him like this. So scared. So broken. He turned to face her, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. He sniffled and pursed his lips. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and a tear rolled down his cheek. She notices how sunken his cheeks looked, and his lips were so chapped, they were bleeding.

"I mentioned it to Jason, I made him promise not to say anything to the rest of the crew, but um, he didn't say anything when we were underwater either, so I kind of just ignore it. I guess, I thought the feeling would go away…" He mumbled.

Annabeth stayed quiet, and Percy continued.

"Then, we got here, and we had to pretend everything was back to normal. I couldn't Annabeth I just… I'm so terrified all the fucking time."  
He said the last part as a whisper. It was barely audible but Annabeth had heard it.

"I know…" She said and ran her hand through her boyfriend's hair.  
"I know…" She repeated, this time as a whisper.

His lower lip was trembling and she kissed him. She was in love with him, she was so incomprehensibly in love with him and here he was, crumbling in front of her. She hadn't meant to cry but the tears just fell from her eyes. He was the only one who understood her, the only one who'd cared enough to get to know her, faults and all. He'd even fallen in hell with her! Annabeth wasn't going to just let him go, she couldn't. She kissed him again.

"Percy, I love you. Whatever you what to do to yourself, please don't do that to me. I love you, please…"

She begged between kisses. She didn't know if he understood her, but she couldn't muster enough courage to speak louder.

"You're my best friend and I love you.."

She whispered. He didn't say anything, he didn't even look at her, he just wrapped his arms around her, right there on the ledge. He buried his face on the nook of his neck and she could feel his whole body tremble.

"I-I am so sorry… I-It should've been me on that explosion, I'm so sorry, Annabeth, I'm so sorry…" His voice was muffled and she could tell he was crying.

He kept repeating the words over and over again. You selfish idiot, was all that was running through his mind. He wasn't a hero, he wasn't anything, he was as scared as he'd been when he was twelve and he'd first stepped foot into camp thinking his mother was dead. Annabeth ran her hands through his hair and back trying to soothe him.

"Shhh… Percy don't say that, shhh…." She whispered.

She rested a hand on the small of his back, where his Achilles curse used to be. He slowly pulled away form the hug, his face was only inches away from hers and he looked her in the eyes.

"How can you not hate me, even after everything?" His breathing was shaky and he fidgeted with the strings on his hoodie. She cupped his face with her hands.

"Perseus Jackson, when are you going to get through that thick head of yours that I could never hate you, not even if I tried?" She said and he nodded his head.

He didn't know how much time they'd been sitting there, but the sun had already set and it was pretty dark out. He wiped his face with the sleeves of his jacket. He stood up and gave her his hand, she took it.

"I guess we should head back…" He mumbled and she nodded. He climbed off the ledge, and extended his arm to help her get down. She took it and followed him to the boardwalk.

Percy's sleeve had ridden up a little above his forearm. Annabeth traced her fingers around his S.P.Q.R. tattoo and then following his arm downwards, she found a plastic bracelet. It was the kind that they give you in hospitals. Annabeth traced the circle with her fingers and looked at it. Percy had forgotten to take it off after he was sent home.

"I went to visit you a couple of times, but the said family members only…" She said.

"I didn't know…" He mumbled and she gave him a small smile.

"I was just glad you were there, and not…" She didn't finish the statement.

"Yeah… me too." He mumbled.

They kept walking in comfortable silence until they reached Chamber Street. They were standing on the sidewalk, Annabeth turned to him.

"Well, I should probably catch a taxi here, and you should probably head home. It's getting pretty late." She said.

"Oh, um yeah, no, I mean you're right, I probably should too." Percy responded.  
She nodded and smiled at him.

"Call me tomorrow okay? Or any day, for that matter." She said and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay…" He said and shoved his hands in his pocket nervously.

"Goodnight seaweed brain." She mumbled.

She turned around and started to walk away, and Percy did the same. He didn't even take five steps before turning around and chasing after her.

"Annabeth, wait!" He shouted and she stopped in her tracks.

She turned around to face him, as he caught up to her. His hands were still shoved in his pocket and he furrowed his brows in concentration.

"What is it? Are you okay?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine, um, I just…" He paused to take a breath.

"I don't want to spend the night alone…" He mumbled and looked at her waiting for a reaction. His eyes were wide and his expression looked so innocent, he reminded her of a baby seal. Annabeth hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Then… It's a good thing you don't have to."


	6. Late Nights and Memories

Although, Percy had been to Annabeth's apartment a few times when they'd started dating, he'd never spent the night.

Percy didn't know what time it was, but it was already dark out. Annabeth fumbled in the darkness trying to unlock the door to her apartment. Much to Percy's surprise everything was quiet, which seemed odd considering they were in the city that never sleeps.

"Do you need help?" He asked after a a minute or two of standing in the dark, watching Annabeth's silhouette furiously try to open the lock.

"No, no, I'm fine" She said hastily until she finally managed to open the door.

"Stupid key! There." She exclaimed, letting Percy in.

The entire apartment was probably the size of Percy's living room, which wasn't much. There was a small mattress with pillows and sheets thrown on the floor next to a window, a small desk with no chair and papers scattered all around it, a door that let to the bathroom, and a kitchen that consisted of a mini-fridge, a stove, a small sink, some cabinets and a microwave. The place was a lot messier than he thought he would be, considering how tidy she had her cabin back at camp, this looked like a hurricane had just passed right through it.

Percy noticed that the wall behind the desk was decorated with old pictures of Annabeth, one of them was of her with a satisfied grin plastered across her face in front of the Lincoln Memorial, another one was one of her and Percy, he had his arm around her and they were standing by the lake at Camp Half-Blood. They'd taken that picture the summer before they'd started dating, before he'd disappeared.

"Um, you can sit, well wherever you want really considering I don't really have chairs." She mumbled, trying to straighten up a little bit.  
She was hastily organizing papers and throwing away some old Chinese takeout boxes from her desk. Was she nervous? Percy decided not to say anything. She ran her hand through her hair and let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry there's such a mess… I haven't actually had time to um, clean up." She said, looking tired.

"Don't worry about it, it's still better than my room." He joked and she smiled.

She went over to her drawer and pulled out a few articles of clothing. Then she opened another drawer and pulled out a shirt. "Um you left this the last time you were here, I guess it's more comfortable than your hoodie, so here." She said handing him his old t-shirt.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." She said awkwardly moving past him.

"I'm gonna shower, just give me like five minutes." She continued,standing in front of the bathroom door.

"Okay." Percy nodded, his hands still fidgeting inside his pocket.

She nodded and closed the door behind her, leaving Percy alone in the tiny room. He looked around and took a seat in the mattress by the window. He could see the Empire State from there and he wondered if Annabeth ever stayed awake and looked at the skyline to calm herself back to sleep. Percy looked around the room. The room didn't have much decoration, just a few purple colored walls that contrasted with the white furniture and floor. She also had a few posters hanging from the walls as well as books scattered around the floor. He noticed she had hanged the Sherlock poster he'd given her for christmas, after the battle of the labyrinth. In between battles and quests, she'd somehow managed to watch the entire two seasons and completely obsess over them. Percy saw the poster at a print shop at the mall one day and convinced his mom to get it, he figured she would like it.

Something else caught his eye, he looked up and noticed that glued to the celling were dozens of those little, glow in the dark, plastic stars. They were scattered all over the place, all with different sizes. He guessed this was as close as you could get to a starry night in New York City. It took him a couple of minutes before noticing that they were arranged into different constellations. Typical overachieving Annabeth, he thought to himself. She'd made him learn most of them last fall, when they were walking around in Paris during their one-month anniversary.

It had already been late out, but most of the streets and cafés were still busy with people. They were holding hands and walking down the Champs-Élysées, when Annabeth pointed at the set of stars 

"That's Orion, the hunter, and that's…" She pointed to another one, waiting for Percy to answer. 

"Uh… Scorpions?" He had answered, she let out a laugh and shook her head, which made him smile.

"First of all Seaweed Brain, it's Scorpius, not Scorpions, although it is a scorpion, and second of all, that's Libra, the scale. Okay how about that one?"  
She pointed at another group of stars and Percy have her a confused look.

"That's you." She said simply. 

"Huh?" He asked, stupidly.  
The dim glow from the street posts barely lid her face, but he could tell he looked beautiful. Her blonde curls were freshly curled and framed her face perfectly, and she was wearing enough makeup for it to bring out her eyes, but not look overdone. She bit her lip and a small smile crept up on her face.

"Perseus, the Hero." She looked at him and squeezed his hand. 

"Can we just establish that I suck at this? They all just look like a bunch of random dots in the sky to me." He said frustratedly and she laughed.  
Gods, he would never get tired of hearing that. 

"Yeah you do, kelp for brains, but it's important, no matter where you are in the world the constellations will always be the same. They will always help you get back…" She was looking at the sky and her tone had turned from playful to serious in a matter of seconds. 

"To you?" Percy said looking at her.  
She looked at him and hesitated before answering.

"Yeah, I guess so, Jackson." She said and gave him a small smile. 

"C'mon Chase, let's go exploring." He smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

The memory still felt warm in his mind. Those were simpler times, and Percy wished he could've stayed in them forever. He guessed her advice had worked after all, since he was back home with her and not lost somewhere in the world, without his memories (because that totally hadn't happened to him before). The one above her bed, he noted was the newest out of all the constellations. It was their friend, Zoë's group of stars, The Huntress.

Next to the mattress on the floor, her laptop was half-open on the floor as well. It wasn't Daedalus' laptop, she'd lost that during the war, instead it was a normal grey one. The lid had a sticker of an owl on it as well as a small koi fish. Percy smiled at the sight of it. He could hear the sound of the water running from the bathroom, as he lay on the bed.

He laid there for a few minutes, soaking in the Annabeth's scent from the sheets. He decided she was right about the shirt, it probably was more comfortable than his hoodie. He took off his shoes, and jacket and pulled his old battered white t-shirt over his head.

"So I was thinking we could probably– Oh, sorry!" She quickly stopped herself and looked away.

Her hair was damp and fell on her shoulder. She was wearing some old shorts and dark, brick colored, over-sized sweatshirt. It took Percy a minute to read what it said: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. She looked awkwardly at the floor and started heading towards the small kitchen.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were changing." She apologized again, which wasn't very Annabeth-like Percy decided.

"It's okay, wise girl, it's not like this is the first time you've seen me shirtless." He said smugly, and Annabeth blushed furiously.  
She had turned away from him, so he couldn't really tell, but he noticed the way she played with the strings on her shorts.

"Yes, Seaweed brain, but it's never been on my bed!" She retorted, that's when Percy felt a small blush creep up his cheeks as well.  
Oh, Percy thought as he pulled the other shirt awkwardly over his head.

"Are you sure you're okay with me staying over?" He asked, she was pouring her self a glass of water.

"Yeah, I-I don't mind." She mumbled and leaned on the counter.  
She looked at him from across the room, but her grey eyes didn't seem focused on anything in particular.

"Are you hungry? I could order pizza, or something-"

"I'm fine wise girl, I just want you to relax." He interrupted her and walked over to her.  
He wrapped his hands around her waist and looked at her. She was still fidgeting with the strings on her shorts.

"Are you okay?" he asked, there was genuine concern in his voice. Annabeth didn't move.

"Hm?" she mumbled, pretending not to hear him.

"I asked you if you're okay?" He repeated and she just shrugged.

"I'm fine Percy, I'm just tired." She said wistfully before looking at him.

The way she said it made Percy think that she was talking about something other than sleep. He pushed a strand of hair away from her face, it was starting to dry and curl at the ends.

"Well, why don't we just lay down, and watch a movie or something until we fall asleep, huh?" He asked and she gave him a weak smile.

"For once you had a decent idea kelp head, I'll get more pillows." She said, escaping his grip and walking past him.

He stared at her as she headed towards a small closet, reaching for a few sheets and pillows. Percy knew something was up with Annabeth, ever since they'd gotten to the apartment something about her just seemed off. He wanted to help her, but he couldn't muster the courage to say something. She handed him a pillow with some sheets and a towel, before plopping herself on the mattress.

"Are you just gonna stand there or are we watching a movie?" She asked, that sounded more like the Annabeth, Percy knew and loved.  
He smiled and sat down besides her. She reached for the computer and plopped it open, searching for something on the internet.


	7. Coffee Black and Egg White

They ended up marathoning the entire first season of Sherlock.

Although Percy had a little bit of trouble keeping up with what was happening on the show, he decided it wasn't actually half bad. They were both laying down on the mattress by this point, Annabeth, who'd been holding the computer, had her head on Percy's chest as he draped his arm around her. He could feel her heartbeat next to his and her slow, warm breaths on his neck, and while it wasn't the most comfortable position to be in, Percy decided he could live with it.

He guessed she must've fallen asleep somewhere towards the end of the second episode, because before he knew it, the computer slid off Annabeth's lap and fell with a thump on the floor. The show must've stopped playing, because the actor's thick British accent, was soon replaced with the distant sound of cars passing by and his girlfriend's breathing. He decided to peak at her while she slept for a few seconds.

Her hair had dried into messy curls and was splattered all over her pillow, her face remained emotionless but peaceful. Percy wondered what she could be dreaming about and if he fit in her dreams somehow. He couldn't really move, not with Annabeth curling up next to his chest, with his arm, but he tried his best to pull the sheets over both of them. He breathed in her scent, lemon with a touch of vanilla. He thought for a moment, how perfect this was. To sleep with a person, it was as simple as that. To hold them as you synchronized your breathing with theirs, and drifted off into unconsciousness.

The only other time he'd slept with Annabeth had been in the stables in the Argo II. They had sneaked out during the night, and ended up falling asleep there, but only that, sleep. It wasn't that Percy hadn't thought about sex, because he had, and he was after all a seventeen year old boy. But the possibility had seemed a lot more likely before he'd been kidnapped by the crazy, Olympian goddess. He'd thought about it during his stay at the Argo II, too, but the timing had never felt…right. Then they'd fallen into Tartarus, and the timing felt even worse!

Of course, there was always the hope that maybe in the future it would finally feel right and then they could worry less about saving the world and worry more about being average, hormonal teenagers. That is, if they still had a future together, and Annabeth didn't dump Percy before. Percy had never brought up the subject with her, he didn't want to pressure her into anything, she was after all his best friend before she was his girlfriend, and he didn't wan to make her uncomfortable. He decided not to dwell more on the subject, that would only leave him feeling embarrassed and inadequate.  
Instead he decided to stare at the stars above them, connecting the dots and repeating the constellations' names in his head. He didn't notice when Annabeth shifted in his arms.

"Percy?" whispered a voice, heavy with sleep. He turned to face her.

"Hey…" He whispered back.  
He couldn't see her through the dark but her hand reached over desperately patting his face and chest and whispering his name, as if to make sure he was still next to her.

"Annabeth, I'm here, I'm here!" He repeated, cupping her hand with his. He felt her let out a shaky breath before laying back down.

"Sorry, I just, I dreamt…"

"It's okay. It's all fine." She didn't finish her statement, but he could feel her jagged breathing. She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him fiercely toward her, burying her face deep in his chest. He wrapped his hands around her, soothing her hair.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?" Her voice was small, and muffled.

"I love you." She whispered into his chest.

He felt his heart race up and his stomach crawl up to his throat. It wasn't the first time she'd said those words to him, but it was the first time she'd said them when they hadn't been about to die. It was the first time she'd said it since they'd gotten back. Here, she seemed like a girl who was afraid of losing something, and that something was him. Annabeth was afraid of losing him, and he realized, he was afraid, no, terrified of losing her too. He kissed the top of her head, and whispered loud enough for her to hear.

"I love you too. It's okay wise girl, lets go back to sleep." He felt her nod against his chest, and her breathing relaxed. He wondered how asleep she really was, and if she would remember this in the morning, before closing his eyes and drifting into a dreamless sleep.

Percy woke up to the unfamiliar smell of roasted coffee in the morning, and the sound of a girl's humming.

He opened his eyes slowly, taking in the scene before him. Annabeth was pouring herself some coffee, as she hummed something that sounded vaguely like some pop song he'd probably heard on the radio before. He was still tangled in her sheets, they were warm and smelled so much like her, Percy just laid there breathing them in for a moment. He sat up lazily and still half-asleep on the mattress, his eyes adjusting to the sunlight that came in through the window.

A small panic crept up in the back of his mind, as he tried to remember exactly where he was and what was happening. It took about five seconds for him to remember what had happened the night before, how he'd gone home with Annabeth and they'd fallen asleep watching TV together. His eyes focused on her, her hair fell down her back, past her shoulders.

She moved around the small kitchen getting a variety of ingredients from the mini-fridge and some cabinets, and for a moment, Percy couldn't help but think he could get used to the sight of Annabeth in the morning. His hair was a mess, his t-shirt and jeans were wrinkled, and he hadn't even washed his teeth but he didn't care, for the first time since the Argo II he felt normal. She must've noticed he had woken up, because when Percy's eyes finally adjusted, she was leaning against the counter with her coffee in hand and her hair falling to the side of her face, looking at him.

"G'morning, wise girl" He said groggily but it sounded more like a whimper than anything else.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." She teased and he let out a small laugh, which made her smile.

The sun was hitting her face, making her hair look more golden, and her eyes more blue than grey. She looked beautiful, and for a second Percy's brain forgot how to correctly process or articulate any comprehensible piece of information. She made her way to him, setting the mug down on the desk and propped herself down on the mattress next to Percy.

"I was starting to think you were comatose Seaweed Brain" She said looking at him sideways, as she played with her hair.

A loud laugh escaped his mouth, and he couldn't even remember when was the last time he'd laughed that hard.

Sleep, he thought. He hadn't realized that it was the first time in days, no, weeks he'd an actual good night's sleep. He felt relieved, like he'd finally found something he hadn't known was missing, so he laughed, he laughed at his own expense. He assumed she was probably looking at him like he'd finally blown a fuse and gone insane, but instead she just laughed along with him and in no time they were both holding on to their stomachs, trying desperately to catch their breaths. She hadn't said anything particularly funny, but laying down on Annabeth's beat up mattress inside the crappy apartment, he felt like he could've stayed in that moment, frozen forever. They were both laying down with tears in their eyes and gasping for air.

"Can't… breathe… help…" Percy gasped between laughs, which only made Annabeth laugh harder.

"The… Savior of Olympus… Everybody…" Annabeth said pretending to be talking to an invisible crowd and Percy threw a pillow at her.

The whole situation was hopelessly pathetic, and they loved every second of it. After a few minutes they managed to calm down and steady their breathing, while Percy shook his head, smiling at the floor.

"Oh gods, why were we even laughing that much?"

"Beats me, you're the one who started it!" Annabeth said playfully pushing Percy's arm.  
As she pushed him backwards on the bed, he grabbed her arm, making her fall on top of him.

"Ouch!" Percy complained pretending to be hurt, and Annabeth laughed again.

This time, however, the laughter subsided when both of them realized the position they were in. She was laying on top of him, her whole body pressed against his. She didn't move and neither did he. Percy's hear was doing summersaults inside his chest, and he mentally cursed himself for getting so nervous. He was sure he was going to ruin it, whatever it was, but it wasn't like he could help it.

Annabeth had that effect on him, she would always have that effect on him. She was infinitely gorgeous, and clever, and kind, and compared to him she was endlessly more fascinating. Even the gods knew that, and he was… well, he was Percy. He was reckless, and gawky and half of the time he would've gotten his ass kicked if it hadn't been for her. Suddenly Percy was aware of how unsteady his breathing was, and how his hair was probably sticking up in all directions, and how he hadn't showered in a day, and all the other little things he suddenly became insecure about.

Maybe she sensed his unease, he wasn't sure, but if she did she didn't say anything. Instead she moved her hand through his tangled, mop of jet-black hair and kissed him. It wasn't a hasty, eighth grade truth-or-dare kind of kiss either, it was a proper, hands-in-hair kind of kiss. The kind that leaves you breathless on the spot, and you give up on all logic and just let your instinct take over. Her lips were soft and moved with such facility against his that she made it seem effortless. Her breath was warm, unlike the rest of the room, and he could feel her smile against his lips as goosebumps rose all over his body.

Gods that felt good, he thought wrapping his arms around her waistline. They stayed like that for a good couple of minutes, although to Percy it felt a lot more like seconds. She was the one to break apart the kiss, but his eyes were still closed and his lips were still parted. She smelled like lemons and vanilla, and her mouth tasted like freshly roasted coffee, and he was completely addicted. They didn't move, and neither of them dared to speak, at least not yet. He didn't know when they had gotten this good, but he sure as hell wasn't complaining. His brain was still caught in the kiss and his head was thrown back on the mattress, he felt her head slump down against his chest and his hands moved up her back to play with her hair. She trailed circles at the hem of his shirt, and in that moment, in that old apartment he knew.

"Annabeth…" His eyes shot open, wide and his voice was soft.  
He looked like a little kid, who was unsure of what to say, or how to say it but he had to anyways.

"Hm?" She looked at him and he paused.

"Are you okay?" She asked, but he just stared at her.

Her eyes were on his and he could see all the different shades of grey and blue intertwine and he knew. He knew this was it, this was the one thing in his life he'd never let go of. He knew that no matter what happened, she would always be Annabeth, she would always be his wise girl.

"You're my best friend—"

Another pause, but she didn't say a word, the air felt thick in his lungs, and he felt like a thousand electric volts were surging through his body.

"—and I love you, and I know I said it before but… I mean it, I really love you, and I'm sorry…" He said the last part a lot softer.

She bit her lip and he could see a small smile tug at the corners of her mouth.

"I love you too, Percy…and you have nothing to apologize for."

He felt like he could breathe again, she loved him, Annabeth Chase loved him, he thought to himself and his thought process turned slow again. Her voice had turned quiet again, and she fiddled with the hem of his shirt, her eyes fixed on the bead necklace he wore from his summers at Camp Half-Blood. There was something about the way she'd said the last words, like she was still bringing herself to believe them, like something inside her snapped every time he tried to apologize. He lifted her head so she could face him and gave her a small, soft kiss. It was short and sweet, and she gave him a small smile.

"I do need to apologize, I'm sorry about everything, about last year–"

"That wasn't your fault." She interrupted him but he continued.

"About the pit, about last week, and about last night… I'm sorry." He finished, looking firmly at her.

She was biting her lower lip as she took as he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The gears in her mind were turning, he could see it in her face but she wouldn't meet his eyes. He wondered what she was thinking and why she hadn't said anything. The silence lingered for a few seconds and Percy wasn't sure what he's been expecting. Maybe for her to say she forgave him, or for her to tell him it hadn't been his fault again or anything, for her just to say something so she would seem more like Annabeth, but instead she just remained motionless and speechless.

"Annabeth…" He began but stopped when he saw her look up at him.  
Her eyes were wide and stern, and her face had was as emotive as a blank page.

"Just forget about it, okay? Just forget about it, about everything." Annabeth said as she rolled off of Percy and laid next to him, facing the celling.

Percy wondered if she had meant for it to sound as harsh as it did, and how had he singlehandedly managed to fuck everything up so much, so fast.

"Okay." He agreed quietly, sitting up on the mattress.  
Normally, he would've argued, or made some stupid comment, but the truth was he no longer had it in him to fight with her, he no longer had it in him to do much of anything.

"Sorry, that was harsh, I didn't mean for it to sound like that." She mumbled, rubbing her temple with her eyes closed.

"It's fine" Percy stated.

Everything had been so good just minutes ago, but here it was again, the edging silence that always seemed to surround them and the nervous shuffling and exasperated sighs that came along with it. There it was again, Annabeth's abrupt reluctancy, that only left him more confused each time. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling off the sheets and grabbed the shirt he'd been wearing the night before.

"I should probably change." He said getting up from the mattress. Annabeth nodded her head slightly as he headed to the bathroom.

After closing the door behind him, Percy quickly pulled the old t-shirt over his head and replaced it with the white one he'd been wearing the night before along with the hoodie.

He opened the faucet in Annabeth's bathroom sink and just stood there, letting the water run through his fingers. Since it wasn't salt water, and it wasn't technically within his dad's realm, it didn't have the ability to give him a power surge like the ocean could, but he still found it refreshing. He ran his wet hands through his face and hair, letting the cold air dry up the droplets of the clear liquid that now covered his face and took a deep breath.

Something was going on between him and Annabeth, he knew it. He'd known it since they had gotten out of that gods forsaken pit, and he'd tried ignoring it. They both had, but he didn't know for how much longer they could. It was an elephant in the room, a giant, pink elephant with white spots that would only get bigger the longer they avoided it. With that thought in mind, Percy wasn't even sure if he wanted to go back out there.

He didn't want to argue with her, but it seemed that fighting was the only thing he had left in him. Problems, he realized, would be a lot easier to solve if both parties knew what was wrong in the first place. He bit down on his lip, it was dry, and raw from all of the self-inflicted bite marks he had produced, but nervous habits like these had become his gateway move during stressful situations. He closed the faucet and shoving his hands back into his pockets, he opened the door back into the apartment.

Annabeth was talking into her cellphone, she was still wearing the oversized Harvard shirt, but she'd traded her shorts for some jeans and her hair was pulled into a messy pony tail. She was pacing around the room impatiently, and twirling a loose strand of hair in her fingers.

"Didn't he tell you, I thought... oh, never mind, he's with me, I thought you knew." She spoke into the phone.

Percy gave her a questioning look and Annabeth turned to him and mouthed something away from the phone that looked like YOUR MOM. Percy nodded his head slowly.

Shit, he thought. How could he be so dense, he'd forgotten to call his mom and tell her he was at Annabeth's place! He'd been so preoccupied with seeing Annabeth and irritated with his parents for leaving him in that hospital for the week that he'd completely forgotten about saying anything to them. He rubbed his temple with his hand and cursed under his breath at his own stupidity. His mom was going to murder him.

"Yeah, he's here, we're on our way there. Don't worry Sally, he's fine. We'll be there in a few minutes" Annabeth said as she took her keys and then hung up the phone.  
She put her phone in her pocket and looked at Percy with contempt look in her face.

"Really, Percy?" She asked.

"Before you say anything, I didn't not tell her on purpose, I forgot okay? It's kinda been a busy week, and my brain isn't exactly good at prioritizing..." He said in dismay and Annabeth just shook her head.

"C'mon, we should probably go. Your mom sounded really worried, and pissed on the phone." She said reaching for her keys and opening the door.

"Yeah, okay." Percy responded following her through the door and out of her apartment.  
As he walked past her he heard something that almost made him smile.

"Freaking Seaweed Brain..." Annabeth mumbled to herself, as she closed the door and Percy wondered if that meant they were okay, for now.


	8. Awkward Goodbyes and Empty Promises

The walk back to Percy's apartment was excruciatingly silent.

Neither of them spoke as they walked, both of them too caught up in their own thoughts to actually engage in a conversation. It was mid-morning and all around them people were hurrying, each person stuck in their own little world. Percy found it interesting how everyone was always so focused in their own lives that they rarely took time to actually notice what was happening in the world around them.

Annabeth walked besides him, her hands were tucked into her sweatshirt, her brows were scrunched together and she seemed to be mumbling somethings to herself. Most of her hair had fallen our of her ponytail and was falling down the side of her face.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly, and he wasn't sure she'd even heard him.  
She didn't respond and he tried again.

"Annabeth?" He asked this time a little louder.

No response.

"Beth!" He said loudly this time and she stopped in her tracks.

"What?" She snapped at him.  
Her eyes looked up and she looked around disoriented, like she had forgotten where she was for a split second. She shook her head absent-mindedly and softened her tone.

"What, what is it?" She asked again.  
This was Percy's moment to study her. Her eyes seemed wild, and unfocused and she was gripping the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

"I just asked if you were okay?" He said, he wasn't mad at her for snapping, just distraught.

"Yeah I'm fine. Now c'mon, let's go." She said looking at him.

Percy would've believed her, he usually did, but she hesitated. She hesitated before answering him, and if there was one thing Percy had learned over the years about Annabeth, it was that she never hesitated, ever. Which meant she was lying to him.

She wasn't fine and he knew it. She was avoiding him, and biting her nails, and gripping her sweater, and getting distracted too easily, and getting scared in the middle of the day and she wasn't fine. But he couldn't just outright tell her this, because the truth was that he knew he most definitely wasn't one to judge.

"Annabeth, wait! I'm trying to help, you know you can tell me if something were wrong, right? You can tell me anything." He said, but she just kept looking ahead.

"I told you I'm fine." Her steps quickened.  
Percy jogged up behind her trying to catch up.

"Slow down, I was just making sure!" He said as he tried to grab her by the arm.  
As he grasped, he felt her flinch beneath his grip, and quickly let go.

"Sorry." He apologized, staring at her and she just looked away.

"It's fine, everything is fine just stop asking! I don't need your help." She said quietly and continued walking.

That shut him up. He followed her, staring at the cars and people that passed them by. Everything was wrong, Percy could feel it in his bones. What happened to us?, he thought to himself as he realized just how quickly Annabeth was slipping through his fingers.

 

 

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED WE'VE BEEN?" Was the first thing Percy heard as he opened the door to his apartment, with Annabeth standing behind him.

There are only a few things in this world that are more embarrassing than having your mother yell at you for coming home late, and one of them is having your mother yell at you for coming home late in front of your girlfriend.

"Mom, I can explain!" He tried saying as he closed the door behind him and Annabeth, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to talk himself out of this one.

"Yeah, you better! Gods, Perseus Jackson, what in hell's name were you thinking? At what point did you think disappearing without telling us anything was a good idea, huh? Specially after what happened last time!" She kept ranting.

He knew she was right, but he'd stopped listening. He deserved it. He deserved to have her yell at him and ground him and tell him how irresponsible he was, but he wasn't in the mood to hear any of it in the moment. Not after his argument with Annabeth, who just so happened to be standing next to him and hadn't met his gaze since the conversation on the way there.

He noticed Paul wasn't there, Percy assumed he'd left for work, since classes were supposed to start in about two weeks or so. His mom kept ranting, and Percy just kept quiet. He was thinking about Annabeth who wouldn't even look at him these days, and his mom who was standing there yelling at him, and everyone else he'd let down in the course of the last couple of weeks and how he knew he was barely hanging on.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He mumbled, but no one seemed to hear him.

He wanted to reach for Annabeth's hand in that moment, but he didn't. What if she pulled away, or ignored it, of it just made her flinch again? He didn't want to risk making things with Annabeth any worse, so instead he just crossed his arms over his chest, almost as if he were holding himself together.

"Percy, are you listening to me?" His mother complained and he immediately looked at her.

"Hm... Yeah, I am, sorry..." Lie. "Look, I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I..." He started but he was cut off short by his mother's hug.  
He was a good couple of inches taller than her, so he bent down a little so her head could rest on his shoulder.

"Just don't disappear on me like that again Percy. I can't lose my son, not again..." She whispered to him and he could hear her voice crack.

He wanted to say something and comfort her, but he couldn't. His own voice was stuck in his throat, so instead he just nodded. His mother let go, wiped her cheek and turned her attention towards Annabeth.

"Sorry about the yelling, Annabeth. Can I get you anything? Some coffee, maybe?" His mom said to the girl, who was leaning against the door staring at them, her eyes narrowed in concentration.  
Percy wondered what she was thinking now. When Sally spoke, she looked up almost immediately and shook her head.

"No, thank you Mrs. Jackson, I just wanted to make sure Percy got here and apologize for not calling you, but I should really start heading back." She said, and smiled sweetly at the older woman.

"Oh nonsense, call me Sally, and are you sure you don't want to stay any longer, just because this one over here is grounded, doesn't mean you cant stick around." Sally said gesturing at Percy, who gave her a small smile.

Annabeth nodded.

"I'm sure, thanks anyways Sally." The mother nodded before giving the girl a small hug.

"Then at least let me call you a cab, okay?" She said to the blonde, who nodded in response.

"I'll walk you to the elevator." Percy said, and together the walked out the door.

"Well at least she didn't seem that mad." Annabeth said as they waited for the elevator.

"Yeah... I think she was a little more preoccupied with the fact that we were together the entire night, than anything else." He said and she arched her brow.

"Why? It's not like we haven't been together on missions before." Annabeth said and Percy gave her one of his famous troublemaker smiles.

"That's not what I meant..." He said and Annabeth's eyes widened.

"Oh. Okay, now I get what you mean, and Oh gods, that was awkward!" Annabeth covered her face with her hands and Percy laughed.

"Don't even get me started on that, I'm dreading the moment Paul steps in through that door and decides it's time we have another one of his 'man talks'!" He complained and Annabeth laughed.

She shook her head, and the elevator doors opened. Her laughing stopped and she turned around to face him.

"Bye, Percy." She said softly and have him a small smile before entering the elevator.

"Bye, Annabeth..." He said, and watched as the elevator doors closed in front of him, leaving him alone again with his thoughts.


	9. Navy Suits and Early Admission

It was mid November when Percy's world came crashing down (again).

The cold, winter air cut through the city like a butcher's knife, as Percy made his way to Goode High. His gold and blue stripped tie kept hitting him on the face and his navy blue jacket didn't do him any justice in this weather. Maybe it was the cold, or the steel grayness of the sky, but somehow he knew things were about to get bad again. It was the calm before the storm.

He'd been walking down the busy Manhattan streets when he saw her. He'd been tangled up in those golden curls enough times to recognize her in the crowd almost immediately. She was walking with someone, Percy didn't know who, and she hadn't seemed to notice him. Annabeth.

She was his girlfriend and he couldn't even remember the last time they'd gone on a date together. With school, and her job reconstructing Olympus, and his weekly visits to the psychiatrist his mom had gotten for him; there just never seemed to be enough time. Or at least that's what he told himself. He didn't want to face the fact that Annabeth had been distancing herself from him, so instead he'd kept himself busy. Percy pretended not to be disappointed whenever she cancelled dates or said she was too tired to hang out. After a few weeks he had eventually stopped asking, and would make up excuses whenever his plans failed.

They texted, and sometimes she called him, but other than that, there hadn't been a lot going on between them during the past month or so. The night they had spent together during his breakdown in September was still fresh in his mind, but that was all it was now. A memory, one that, if he was being truthful, he didn't know how much longer he could hold on to it. Even his mom had noticed his awkward shuffling during his phone calls and the cancelled plans and the missed calls. When she had asked him about it, he had lied and said that everything was good, that they had just agreed to take some time to focus on their schoolwork.

Percy didn't think she believed that for a second, but she didn't push him either, to which he was grateful.

"You know you can tell me if you and Annabeth are having problems, if anything has happened that I should know of..." She had told him but Percy had stopped her by saying that it was fine and that nothing had happened between them, and that was the end of their conversation.

The more he thought about it the less sense it all made to him. She had just decided one day to lock him out, and that was that. There was no apologizing, or asking any of the questions that had been burning holes in his mind for weeks now. No, there wasn't any of that, because technically they were still dating. Could it still be called dating? Even when they barely saw each other, and couldn't make it through a meal without being terrified of saying the wrong thing?

Percy had no idea, which was strange because, this was his best friend. He knew exactly where she began and where she ended. He knew her better than anyone, and he loved her, and what irritated him the most about all of this was that absolutely none of that seemed to matter. No, instead she was starting to become just another faceless ghost in the sea of his memory, which was something he was deeply terrified of.

Percy walked closer to where she was standing. She was wearing her school uniform, a plaid skirt with a white buttoned down shirt tucked in neatly, and a blazer with her schools emblem. Her back was against a stone wall and she seemed to be laughing at something that the other person had said. Upon closer inspection he noticed that the other person was guy, he was tall and wore the same colored uniform she wore, so Percy assumed they must've been classmates.

"...So then the other atom comes in and says, ARE YOU POSITIVE?" The guy said and Annabeth let out a small laugh.

Percy assumed he had told some kind of joke, and stood there almost unsure of wether he should've kept walking or not. When Annabeth turned she saw him, his brows furrowed as he took in the scene before him.

"Percy, hey! Come here." She said, waving.

The guy, the tall one also turned around and noticed Percy standing there, looking at them like an idiot. He walked over to them slowly, almost like he had intruded on something, which was stupid considering that she was his girlfriend.

"Hey Annabeth." He said softly and kissed her on the cheek.

The guys who was laughing just a few seconds ago was now eyeing them carefully.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, he hadn't meant for it to sound harshly, in all honesty he was curious, but he would've been lying if he didn't admit that finding Annabeth with some other guy on a random street in New York didn't bother him a little.

"Um, we were just grabbing some breakfast before school, by the way, have you two even met? Hunter, this is Percy. Percy, this is Hunter the guy I told you about from my calculus class that got into NYU, EA." She said it, as a small smile played on her lips.

So was this how he was being introduced now, as just Percy? It was stupid, but the thought was a little disconcerting. The guy extended his hand and Percy took it and shook it slowly.

"EA?" He asked and Hunter just shrugged.

"It means 'Early Admission'. Annabeth won't shut up about it."

Percy didn't usually notice guys, but Hunter was good looking. He had neatly combed, chestnut colored hair and pale blue eyes. Percy vaguely thought he looked like a puppy, but a threatening puppy nonetheless.

"I'm just excited for you, seriously Hunt, that's really cool."

Hunt? Seriously? Since when had Annabeth used nicknames for her friends, or people in general. The only thing she'd ever called him was 'seaweed brain' and even that was still better than 'hunt'. He must've made a face, cause Annabeth nudged him slightly.

"You should apply too, though. I mean, with your grades and scores, you could definitely get in." He said, and Annabeth looked slightly embarrassed for a moment.

"Um, no it's fine... I mean we already made plans to go to California after graduation." There was a slight hint of disappointment as she spoke, it was barely noticeable but Percy caught it.  
That caught Hunter by surprise.

"We?" he asked and Percy spoke before his brain could stop him from sounding like a total ass.

"Yeah, we, as in her and me. Her boyfriend. The one she's going with to California next year." He wasn't the jealous type, he really wasn't.

He knew he shouldn't have felt threatened, he knew it was illogical and that neither, Annabeth or the guys, had actually given him any reason to feel like that. But he did, and he acted on impulse. Annabeth remained silence, her brow slightly furrowed, and maybe the Hunter guy took that as his cue to leave.

"Her boyfriend, oh, okay. Well, I still think you should apply, but uh, I'll see you around, Annabeth" He left them standing there awkwardly, as Percy shoved his hands into his pockets and Annabeth glared at him.

"What was that, Percy?" She asked, her tone slightly irritated.  
He scoffed.

"Maybe I could ask you the same thing. What's going on with you and Mr. Early-Admission, over there!"

He should've just kicked himself in the face, he's sure that would've been a smarter decision. Annabeth looked at him like she had just been struck.

"What?" There was a bit of hurt in her voice, but as soon as it had appeared it had gone away.

Was she hurt? Did she even care if he got angry or not? Did he? Was this it, had they really stopped caring about what each other felt or said? No, that wasn't the issue, at least not for him anyways. He cared, he cared too much, which was why it all bothered him so much, because he knew that no matter the competition, he would almost always lose when it came down to Annabeth. So he acted like a dick because he was scared of losing.

"You two seemed pretty chummy together, how come didn't know who I was? Or that you had a boyfriend?" He said frustration creeping into his voice. Annabeth was clearly worked up now, he knew it.

"I don't know, it never came up but... Where the hell is this coming from anyways?" She said angrily and he knew she was just holding on because they were in the middle of some street, surrounded by people, and Percy hadn't cared.

He would've said some more, but he didn't want to fight, and he was late for class, and there wasn't that much he could say without upsetting either one of them even more.

"Whatever, just forget it." He finished quietly and started walking away.

He heard Annabeth scoff and mutter something under her breath that he couldn't hear. He knew the entire incident would blow up in his face soon enough, that he would come to see in the following week. Never had Percy Jackson been more disappointed to be proven right.


	10. Detentions and Replacements

To say that he had been in a bad mood for the rest of the day, would've been an understatement.

He wasn't in a bad mood, he was in an awful mood. That much was obvious. He'd gotten a few snide remarks from the few friends he had at Goode, and had even talked back at some of the teachers. He wasn't exactly angry over what had happened in the morning, it was something else entirely. Watching how easily Annabeth had laughed and talked with that other guy had sparked something in Percy, that he wasn't sure he could put into words. He guessed it was the initial shock, what had disturbed him the most.

The fact that Annabeth had a life outside of everything, while he still had trouble sleeping for the majority of the night. And maybe that was what had pushed her away too. After all what was he other than the same old, stupid, seaweed brained, good for nothing Percy he'd always been? Maybe she had finally gotten tired of him and was slowly replacing him with a smarter, handsomer, cooler model. Maybe it was time to call it quits, now that they had distanced themselves.

But that was it, he didn't want to break up with her, not now, even though he was still angry at her for flirting with some guy and hadn't returned any of her calls. He was in the wrong and he knew it, he was being an ass over nothing and he should've just called her back and said he was sorry and bottle everything up like he'd done before. But he hadn't done any of those things, because he was Percy. And because he was Percy, he was currently sitting in an empty classroom with his step-father staring at him from across the room because he had taken out his anger on any living thing that had come within 5 feet from him and had managed to get himself detention.

He let out a heavy sigh and let his head slump on his shoulders. His dark hair stood up in different directions as he continuously ran his hands through them, a gesture he'd become accustomed to do whenever he was aggravated about something. Paul must've caught on, because he sed aside papers, and with both hands on his desk looked at Percy.

"I haven't seen that much angst in you since I started dating your mother." He said jokingly, but Percy wasn't in the mood for jokes.

He rolled his eyes, and laid his head over the side of his arm on his desk. He didn't want to talk about Annabeth in an old crappy classroom with his stepdad, he just wanted to not think about anything for a while. The lights, and walls in the classroom were too bright, they made his eyes hurt and they reminded him of the week he'd spent at the hospital.

There were things he couldn't talk about without becoming a complete and utter mess, things he'd seen that had kept him up for weeks, things that no matter how hard he tried he couldn't explain to anyone. Anyone except Annabeth...His thoughts were a vicious cycle. They always seemed to start and end the same way, with Annabeth. No matter how many detours he tried to take, he was always back to where he started. The silence was broken by Paul again.

"Fighting with Annabeth again?" He asked and Percy groaned.

"We're not fighting, we're... I don't want to talk about it." Paul looked at Percy worriedly.

"Not 'fighting'? I see..." He said leaning back in his chair.

Percy had been bottling up his feelings about his issue with Annabeth for weeks now, and maybe it was the way Paul had shown his genuine concern that made Percy crack. He threw his hands up in exasperation and before he knew it, the words were just spilling out of his mouth.

"It's just... Ever since we got back things have been so different between us. Like, half of the time she'll just call me to cancel whatever plans we had, and the other half, when she does decide to show up, it's like she's there but she's not. Like I'm trying to communicate with her but the signal is all messed up." He threw his head back, closed his eyes and spoke quietly.

"Before it used to be so easy. Before Gaea, and any of this. Sure, we argued but it was always about the stupid stuff, and it never meant anything cause we would always make up for it, but now it just doesn't feel the same. She'll look at me like I'm some kind of ghost, just vacant air waiting to be occupied, and whenever I think about saying or doing something. I just feel like I'll fuck up everything even more, like I did this morning..."

Paul remained silent and Percy let out a soft groan. He didn't mention him and Annabeth's trip to Tartarus, he had told his parents vaguely what had happened during his quest on the Argo II, but he never got into the specifics. He decided that being missing for 8 months was enough trouble, and he didn't need to worry them anymore. He ran his hands through his face and hair again before looking at Paul, his sea green eyes lost and empty.

"I don't know what to do anymore. She's my best friend." His voice was low, and the air around him felt thick and heavy.

Percy had never been to keen on sharing his feelings with other people, not even with Grover, with whom he had shared an empathy link. He didn't really know why he had told all of this to Paul, but he knew that the man sitting in front of him was as close to having a real dad as he was ever going to get. It was still a little strange talking to him without his mom around, but it also felt nice. Comforting. Paul didn't ask him what had happened in the morning, or tell Percy to stop over analyzing everything, instead he calmly look of his glasses and ruffled his hair.

"It seems to me that the biggest issue you two are having is simply a matter of miscommunication. Annabeth's a smart girl, one that really cares about you, and I bet that whatever is going on, probably has more to do with her, than you." Percy just crossed his hands over his chest and slumped in his chair.

"But that's the thing though, what if she doesn't care anymore? What if..."

Paul interrupted him before he could finish his dreadful speculations.

"Did your mom ever tell you what Annabeth did? While you were gone?"

Percy remained silent and shook his head. Annabeth hadn't talked much about the month when he'd been missing. He hadn't asked her about it either, he figured it was better to simply move on.

"Well, when Chiron told us what had happened, I don't need to tell you that your mother was a complete mess. Annabeth came to our apartment, she would come at the end of every week to deliver whatever news they had about you in person. Then, she would sit with your mom and just talk about you. About your quests and how many people you had saved and all the great things you had done, and she would just tell Sally that everything was going to be okay. That you were okay..." Paul took a deep breath and put on his glasses again.

He seemed older with them on. A wave of guilt had washed over Percy as he spoke again.

"I don't know if she said that, to reassure your mom, or herself. I don't think that girl could've been more heartbroken, yet without a fail, she'd come here and just put on a brave face for your mother, and I strongly suspect that it's because she knew that's what you would've wanted." Paul didn't say any more.

He didn't have to, Percy felt like shit over how he had stormed out on his girlfriend. He let out a deep sigh and with it his last remaining question.

"What if when I talk to her I just fuck it up, then what?" He asked innocently, his eyes fixed on a spot on the floor.  
Paul nodded.

"Oh, but what if you don't?" He said, and gave Percy a small, wistful smile.

Percy looked at him, and then absentmindedly glanced at his phone. He could see all the notifications from missed calls and messages, and felt like a jerk. Paul pretended to glance at his watch before gathering up his papers.

"Look, detention is almost over, so why don't we call it a day? And while we do that, why don't you call her and apologize, and invite her to the bonfire the student council is having this Friday? Just an idea." Paul said, looking at the mount of essays on his desk.  
Percy looked up.

"Bonfire?" Paul simply gestured to the wall.

Sure enough, there was a bright neon flyer with all the information, posted to the wall. "You can take it if you want." Paul said, as Percy gathered his things. He took the poster and hastily shoved it in his backpack. With his phone in his hand he made his way to the door, turning around before exiting the classroom.

"Hey Paul... Thanks." He said shyly and his stepfather looked at him.

"No problem, kid." He said, and Percy gave him a small smile.

With that, he rushed into the hallway and dialed Annabeth's number. C'mon, he thought, Pick up, please Annabeth pick up! After a few rings, she answered. He spoke, barely even stopping to catch his breath.

"We need to talk."


	11. A Phone Call and A Little Black Dress

"Are you going to apologize for being a dick?" Percy heard Annabeth say through the muffled speaker.

She was pissed, very pissed. That wasn't much of a surprise. Percy felt the words get caught in his throat. He could almost feel them roll off the tip of his tongue, but when he opened his mouth, no sounds came out.

"Well? Seriously Jackson, if you're gonna call me and tell me the we need to talk, I expect at least some sort of articulation." She spoke bluntly.

He couldn't explain it, but he felt like he was setting himself up for failure.

"I… " He mumbled, trying to find the right words.

He didn't want to have this discussion with her over the phone, he wanted to see her, and talk face to face. He bit his lower lip, cursing himself for not being able to get the words out. He should've started out by apologizing, but the image of Annabeth, and whatever-his-name was still fresh on his mind. He took a moment to close his eyes and calm himself, before he let his anger get the best of him, again.

"Gods, Percy, I have a meeting in like 5 minutes, get out with it already!" She said impatiently.  
There was no longer any anger to her voice, simply annoyance.

"Let's go on a date, you and me, this Friday. And don't say you have other plans, cause I know you don't." He said in a rushed breath.  
His mouth was dry, but he felt like some weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Look, I know I was a dick, to…"

"Hunter." Annabeth finished for him.

"Right, Hunter. I know I overreacted, and that wasn't alright. But, can you even blame me? I mean seriously Annabeth, things between us have been so tense since we came back, it's like I don't— I thought…" His voice trailed off, unable to finish that stream of words.

"Oh, by all means, please continue." She spoke, a hint of sarcasm lacing her voice, he could almost see her rolling her eyes at him. He ran his free hand through his hair.

"Annabeth," He took a breath before saying anything else. "I, I don't wanna fight." He said.

There was another pause.

"Neither do I." Her voice was small now, like even the simple act of speaking was draining the energy from her.

"So, it's settled then? We're going to a party this Friday, with underage drinking and actual people, and we'll pretend like we're actually cool enough to be there?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood and he heard her let out a small scoff.  
Percy bit his lip, as he waited for an answer.

"Correction, you're probably not cool enough, me on the other hand…" 

A small smile made its way to his lips. "Right. So it's a date?" He asked one last time.

"Fine. Just remember to text me the details later." She said, "Goodbye, Jackson."

"Goodbye, Chase." He said and hung up.

On a scale of one, to a radioactive war-zone, that conversation hadn't been nearly as disastrous as Percy had thought it would be. He decided not to waste anymore time aimlessly walking around Goode. Feeling the crumpled up paper pressed against his hand, inside his pocket, he headed home.

"You've got everything? Your keys? Your phone? Your jacket? Do you have your jacket, you know how cold it gets!" Sally Jackson fumbled, as she tried to smooth out Percy's hair.

"Mom, I'm fine. Seriously! Stop!" He said trying to swat her hand away.  
His mom crossed her hands and stepped back looking at him.

"I can't believe how grown up you look!" She mumbled as she looked at him.

"Mom, it's not like I'm moving away, it's just a party I'm going to with Annabeth. No big deal." He said jokingly, and Sally smiled.

"Oh I know, but you know how us moms are, we just get sentimental." She laughed and Paul joined in.

"Let's not embarrass the kid any further and let him go, look at him, he's practically out the door already." Paul said and winked at Percy.

"Right, right. Don't come home too late, and call us when you're on your way back, and tell Annabeth we said hi." His mother continued, but he was already past the door.

"Okay!"

"Be careful!" His mom said as she began to close the door.

"Yeah, love you!" Percy said, got in the elevator and made his way down.

He made his way through the parking lot and got in the car, his step-father had lent him with the condition that he had to return it in a pristine state (considering how on previous occasions, when Paul had lent his car to Percy, it had been ran over by a certain black pegasus). His parents still got nervous over Percy's driving. He'd only gotten his license about a month ago, but after steering old greek chariots and Pegasi, driving a car felt like a breeze to him. Although, he didn't at all use the car that much (New York City traffic was a bitch when it wanted to be), he enjoyed the freedom and the option to go visit his friends at camp if he wanted to.

You mean the ones you haven't talked to in ages?, he thought to himself, as he jammed the key into the slot, and turned on the ignition. He really should've given them a call, or at least send them an e-mail or something, but things were hectic enough as it was and he didn't wan't to bother them. Besides, the only person he had talked to from his old life was Grover, and it'd only been to tell him he was back.

He hadn't mentioned the incident, or his troubles with Annabeth, or any of it for that matter, just a simple "Hey G-man, how's it been? I'm sorry for being out of touch for so long, but I'm back home. So whenever you come visit, just give me a call, okay? -P. Jackson" There was no point in saying much, they hadn't seen each other in almost a year and Grover was doing his own thing, being Lord of the Wild and all. He had a life, and Percy wasn't about to just barge into it with his problems. Pushing his thoughts aside, he decided he'd better get going, if he wanted to get his girlfriend on time.

Feeling the soft roar of the engine as it came alive, he started making his way to Annabeth's apartment.

Thanks to the traffic, it took him about 20 to 30 minutes to reach her apartment.

He thanked the gods that she lived on one of the less crowded streets of NYC. He'd been nervous the entire car ride, and as he pulled over, it had only gotten worse. He tapped his anxiously on the steering wheel, as he pulled up on the curve next to her building. It wasn't much, just a plain, old brick colored building, with small windows that signaled where each room was. He saw Annabeth's window on the third floor, her light was on and he could se her silhouette move along the small curtains. He turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. The night air felt cold against his face. He buried his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket and buzzed in Annabeth's apartment. 3A. After a few seconds a voice answered.

"Hello?" 

"Hey, I'm here." He spoke into the speaker, tapping his foot on the dark grey steps.

"Oh, I'll be down in a sec, just stay there." She spoke and the line went dead.

Percy leaned against the brick wall, deciding what exactly he was going to say to her. Were they going to talk about their 'fight', or had that been forgotten for now? Was he going to bring up the last few weeks? The last few months? He sighed as he shuffled uneasily on his feet. The wait was excruciating, but was it because he was anxious to see her, or the complete opposite? The sound of the door opening was what snapped him out of his thoughts and back into reality.

Annabeth closed the door behind her as she stepped into the pavement. Her hair fell down her back, and side of her face. She wore a simple black dress, with a tights and a deep red coat. She was wearing makeup too, it wasn't a lot, Percy noticed. More like subtle hints of it here and there. Percy stared for a moment.

There was a brief moment whenever he saw her, where he'd forget everything. Where she was the only thing in the panorama, and he enjoyed looking at her. There wasn't any particular reason for it, she wasn't more beautiful than what she had been a week ago, neither was she doing anything remotely interesting. Yet he simply liked looking at her, when she was unsuspecting of his eyes on her. She turned around and saw him.

"What?" She asked, running her hands through her hair.

She was beautiful, no one could argue that, but she was so many other things too. There were layers, and layers of complexity to her, and Percy feared he would never be able to decipher them all.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. You look great, now let's go, it's kind of freezing out here." He said with a small smile and she followed him.

He opened her door and proceeded to get in the car himself. He started the engine as she took off her coat and set it on her lap. Her dark sleeved dress contrasted greatly against her pale hands. He began to pull away from the curve when he heard her mumble.

"Shit." He stopped the car.

"What happened?" He asked and she looked at him.

"I left my lights on," She said pointing at her window.

"Two minutes with you and this is what happens" She said with a smirk, and he smiled. "Wait here, I swear this will take less than a minute!" She said as she started getting out of the car.

"No problem." He replied and watched her walk back over to the building.

He rested his hands on the steering wheel and reached for the radio when he heard something beep. It was Annabeth's phone, she had put it on the car's cup holders. There were two more beeps, one followed immediately by another. Percy picked up the phone curiously, there were 3 new messages. The screen showed only the beginning of each:

New Message from HUNTER: 

He doesn't know does he? Wh…

New Message from HUNTER:

I'm serious Anna, you nee…

New Message from HUNTER:

You should tell him. 

Hunter, that was the guy from Annabeth's class, the one she had been hanging out with when Percy had seen her on his way to school, the NYU guy. Why was he texting her, and what was he talking about? Who should tell who what? Percy stared at the screen for a few more seconds trying to figure out what the half messages flashing on the screen meant.

He wasn't going to unlock her phone and read her messages, he knew Annabeth well enough to know that going through her stuff was never a good idea. But still, curiosity couldn't help but eat at him. Was Hunter talking about him? If so, what was Annabeth hiding from him? Something burned through Percy impulsively. A million more questions forming themselves in his mind. Why was Annabeth keeping anything from him? When had they started keeping secrets from each other? And how did that fucker now more about what was going on with Annabeth, than Percy? What made him so goddamn special?

It was stupid, but Percy felt cheated. Not because Annabeth was talking to Hunter, but because he'd been trying for so long to knock down all of Annabeth's walls, and here she was building new ones, just underneath Percy's nose. He was tired of playing an endless game of cat and mouse with her, and decrypting every single thing she said. All the fight he had in him had been drained out, instead there was only vacancy. An overwhelming feeling of nothing that coursed through his veins.

He put the phone back where it was and stared blankly at the road in front of him. He looked over at the building. The light was no longer on, which meant Annabeth should've been walking through the main entrance in a few seconds. Effectively, he saw her step out and walk towards him, a small smile on her face as she held her own body trying to fight off the cold. Her hair moved with her as she walked, and got in the car.

"Sorry about that," She looked at him and her smile wavered.

"Are you okay?" She asked and he just stared at the road.

"Yeah, I'm fine, let's just go." He said, and they took off down the empty street.


	12. Night Drives and Magic Tricks

The drive to the party would've been excruciatingly silent, if it hadn't been for the soft pop-rock music playing on the radio.

Percy hadn't really spoken since they had left the apartment, only saying small hmms and uh-huhs, here and there. Annabeth had picked up on his reluctancy from the moment she had stepped foot in the car for the second time that night, but hadn't asked him about it. Like she's one to judge, he thought to himself.

He didn't know what he felt, he wasn't quite angry, or sad, or disappointed. Instead, he was a mixture of all three. He felt like he was back to where he started 3 months ago. Alone and confused. The drive from Annabeth's apartment to the bonfire should've taken them about 5 minutes, had it not been for the traffic. Cars were piled up, one next to the other, in the busy city streets. Annabeth stared out the window, her eyes seemingly fixed on the road. She held both of her hands on her lap, as she nervously tapped her finger on her thigh. Percy saw her from the corner of his eye. His hands held the steering wheel firmly, and he turned down different streets and avenues. Annabeth was the first to break the silence.

"I thought you wanted to talk."

She didn't look at him, she didn't move. Her voice was monotonous, almost like the words weighted her down. He let out a small scoff and pressed his lips in a thin line.

"There's nothing to say."

She turned to him now, studying him. He could feel her next to him, the tension between them. It was almost like the temperature in the car had dropped by 10 degrees in a single instant.

"But you said..."

"People say a lot of things Annabeth, it doesn't necessarily mean they have to act on them."

It was his turn to look at her, there was a silent understanding between them. She scoffed and leaned back into her seat. The cars were beginning to move once again, and Percy turned his eyes to the road. She let out a deep breath. He could feel her beside him, but at the same time she felt distant. Like she was there, but there was a glass wall between them.

"If you didn't want me to come, you could've just said so. I would've been fine staying in a Friday night." She said, avoiding his gaze.  
The road had began to clear up, and he could see the trail of smoke from the bonfire at a distance. They were almost there. He raised her eyebrow at her.

"So you could spend the night with your buddy, Hunter? Give me a little bit more credit." He said, sarcasm lacing through his word.  
She let out a fake laugh.

"Is that what this is about? I thought you said you were over that!" She spat angrily.

Percy began pulling into the driveway of one of the student council's house. Some people were out drinking and talking, and music blared from the speakers. Percy recognized a few of the guys from his swim team. He assumed most people must've been around the back of the house, where the actual bonfire was taking place, but still the place seemed pretty full. The closer Percy got to the house, the more he regretted the idea taking Annabeth with him in the first place. To be honest, he was tired of fighting and he'd much rather had stayed in his house, than having a sparring contest with her. He let out a deep breath.

"I had, but then he texted you and—" He turned to her "—What does he want you to tell me? What does he know that I don't?"

Percy asked. There was no longer any sarcasm in his voice. He looked at her sternly, trying to get the slightest inkling as to what she was thinking, but her face was expressionless.

"You went through my phone?" She asked, and Percy shook his head.

"No! But should I? What the hell was he talking about Annabeth? How long are we going to keep pretending that everything is fucking alright, huh?" He said and ran his hands through his hair.

Annabeth didn't say anything, she just bit her lower lip and gathered her stuff.

"We should get out of the car. People are staring." She mumbled, beginning to open the door. The conversation clearly over. He let out a deep sigh and stared at the house, covered in lights and loud party music.

"Whatever, let's go."  
Percy turned off the car and got out the car. He closed the door, and together they made their way to the house.

Percy stood by the snacks tables as he waited for his girlfriend.

On the list of the worst dates in history, this was definitely to be number one. He'd been in a pissy mood ever since he'd left the apartment. He was still racking his head over what Hunter had meant in his texts to Annabeth. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. He didn't even want to think about the possibility Annabeth and Hunter, together. It hurt too much. Besides, despite everything, he trusted her. He trusted her more than anyone, more than even himself sometimes. And that was the problem. He trusted her with everything, she knew everything there was to know about him, but lately he felt like she was an entirely different person. Or maybe it was him? Either way, all he knew he was tired of hunting for clues, and second guessing what she meant. He wanted a straightforward answer for once.

If she didn't love him anymore, if she wanted to breakup with him. Percy could deal with it. It would suck and it would definitely be more painful than any monster's venom, but he would deal with it. He could handle that, he could handle the truth no matter how bad. What he couldn't deal with, however, was the constant state on limbo she kept him in. She would open up to him, but when he tried to get closer, she'd shut him out. That was what it'd been like with Annabeth during the past few months. He was fed up with it, he needed something to hold on to. Something real.

He looked around the table and grabbed one of the served red solo cups. It was full of some of the punch, it wasn't blue but Percy wanted a something to drink. He took a sip and immediately felt the burning sensation of alcohol inside his mouth. Of course it's spiked, he thought. He tried not to make a face as he swallowed it and looked distrustingly at the cup. He didn't really drink, he'd seen enough drunk people in his life time, to stay away from drinking. He was about to put down the cup again, when he heard someone call his name.

"Jackshon!"

A couple of guys approached him. There were 3 or 4 guys, accompanied by some girls, the guys Percy realized, were from his teammates from the swim team at Goode. The tallest one, Marcus, put his arm around him and swayed.

"Perrrcy, my frriend!" He slurred as he approached the green-eyed boy.

Oh great he's drunk, Percy thought

"Marco, good to see you man." He said smiling politely. The rest of the team formed a circle around them.

Marco was the current captain of the swim team. He was good, but if he wanted to, Percy could easily beat him. He, however, decided not to, being a son of Poseidon and all, it would've technically been cheating. Marco had ruffled dark hair and big, brown eyes. He hot-headed, Colombia-born, son of a diplomat, and possibly the only person on Earth that enjoyed being in the water more than Percy. Next to him were: Aidan, the red-haired kid everyone always assumed was Irish (He'd call them racist, and proceed by telling them his parents were from Ireland), Dave, the only junior on the team and Leanne, the only girl on the team. They were probably his only friends at school. When he'd first gone to Goode after the Battle of New York, and tried out for the team, none of them had asked him about the scars or where he'd come from, something Percy had really appreciated.

"You're a great swimmer. Welcome to the team." Marco had said and given him a smile.  
He reminded Percy of Jason that way, they were both great leaders. All of them were probably about as average as any teenager could be, and Percy wondered what that must've felt like. To feel normal.

"So, what are you drinking my man?" He said, taking Percy's drink and chugging down a huge portion of it.

"Carajo! Why are you drinking water, frriend?"

The way Marco rolled his r's and Percy assumed spoke in Spanish, was a definite sign that he was very drunk. He looked around, and over his shoulder, and pulled out a small flask and dumped its contents into Percy's glass.

"Uh, I don't dri—" He was interrupted by Marco who bumped his cup with Percy's triumphantly.

"And then God said, Let there be wine, now drink up! Trust me friend, there's nothing like good, ol' fashioned rrrum for the spirit." He said laughing and drank the contents of his cup.  
Percy followed him, drinking huge portions of the liquid inside his own cup. He felt the alcohol quickly burn it's way through his throat as he swallowed. Percy coughed when he was done, feeling like his throat wanted to disintegrate itself.

"That tasted like death." Percy wheezed, looking at Marco who just shrugged.

"Pshh, white people." He responded.

He looked at the rest of his classmates who all had cups in their hands.

"C'mon Perce, loosen up, will ya? It's a party not a funeral." Said Aidan, who was swaying his head unconsciously to the music.

"What?"

"Oh don't deny it, you've been grumbling ever since we saw ya walk in with that blonde earlier, who is she by the way?" Aidan spoke up again, his eyes dazed. His voice was lightly laced by an Irish accent, that had long ago stopped being Irish, and was now and odd combination that was neither Irish, nor American. Percy looked around at them and shook his head.

"You know what? You guys are right, fuck it." He said and took another gulp from the cup. Aidan patted him on the back as he chugged down the remains of his cup.

His throat might've been swore, and his head might've felt detached from his head, but at least he was no longer thinking about Annabeth. Annabeth who had left for the bathroom over 10 minutes ago and still hadn't come back. Annabeth, who was probably the real reason he was drinking anyways. It was better to face a mellowed out version of reality, than head on.

The more he drank, the more he felt like he was in a dream. Everything, that wasn't five feet in front of him, looked hazy. He didn't know how much more of the weird flask stuff Marco poured into his cup, or how much more he drank, but it had definitely been enough to make him start slurring his words. It was like someone had removed any filter Percy might've had between his brain and his mouth. Words came out before he could even process that his mouth was moving. It felt like he was living on an alternate reality.

"You know, I once slayed a Gawrgon?" He said as he leaned on Marco. He was speaking to Leanne, who was laughing hysterically. Her straw colored hair was cut right underneath her chin, and swayed every time she moved her head. It vaguely reminded Percy of a feather duster.

"How much of that stuff did you give him?" She asked, turning to Marco, who shrugged and let out a huge laugh.

"This is pure gold!" He replied laughing.

"I'm serious, there were three! And I went like, whoosh," Percy motioned a wave with his hands, "and I killed them!" He said proudly.

"I'm son of Poseidon, but he's kind of a dick. I can control water an' shit, which is why I let you win." He continued, looking at Marco, but not really focusing on anything.

"What? You do not!"

"I do too!" Percy said defiantly.  
He felt dizzy, and his feet felt heavy. Dave and Aidan had left after some girls, and the only ones left with him were Marco and Leanne. There was some yelling behind them, apparently someone had just won a round of beer pong. Percy felt Marco shift and throw his hands in the air.

"Aw man! I wanted to see that, Leanne would you look after him, I'm afraid he'll fall in the pool, trying to communicate with the 'fish ponies', whatever those are." He said as the girl nodded.

"No problem." She said, as Marco left them by the snacks table.  
Percy leaned against the table smugly and turned to Leanne.

"Wanna see a cool trick?" He said raising his eyebrows.  
Leanne leaned in closer to him and tossed her hair back. Percy wondered if her neck ever hurt from moving it so much.

"Sure," There was a small slur when she spoke, like she was dragging each syllable longer than necessary. Percy showed her his cup, the red colored liquid swirling inside.

"You see that?" He asked

"Yeah."

"Pay attention." With a quick flick of his wrist, he made the liquid inside raise up, and fall back down into the cup. Leanne eyes widened as she stared blankly at the cup.

"How the fuck did you do that?" Leanne said amazed.

"I told you already! Son of Poseidon!" He said with a smirk. He felt like he probably shouldn't have done that, but he also didn't care enough to stop himself. Leanne looked strangely at her own drink and mumbled absentmindedly.

"I really need to stop drinking this stuff."

She ran her hands through her hair and touched Percy's forearm, where his S.P.Q.R. tattoo was. He shifted, slightly uncomfortable. Was she making a move on him? Probably not, Percy thought.

"You're a weird guy Percy, funny, but weird." She said lazily, and he gave her an odd look.

"Uh... Thanks?" He responded confused.

"Wanna see my cool trick?" She asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Su-" Percy was interrupted by Leanne, who sloppily placed her lips on his.  
She put both her arms around his neck, and aggressively moved her lips against his. They tasted like beer and Dorito chips. He wanted to move, or get her off of him, but he was taken a back by the whole situation and his body wasn't responding properly. Something was wrong, something was definitely wrong. He tried to move, but all of his movements were too slow. His vision was blurry and he almost didn't notice Annabeth standing across the room, arms crossed, and a murderous look in her eyes.

Percy broke away from the kiss, his eyes darting back and forth between the two girls.

"Annabeth..." He began to say as she walked over to him. She grabbed the cup Percy had been drinking from, and dumped it over his head.

"You were right... There is nothing else to talk about." She said sternly, and turned around. Fuck, Percy thought.

"Who is that?" Leanne asked, still leaning against him.

"My girlfriend." He said, rushing after Annabeth.

The last thing he heard as he left through the door was Leanne mumble something that vaguely sounded like shit.


	13. Drunken Hearts and Lost Words

Percy chased after her, towards the street, but she was moving too fast for him.

He was already dry by the time he crossed the door. Everything seemed like a split image in his head. Like everything around him was at hyper speed while he was stuck in quicksand. He felt like he had a black hole forming in the pits of his stomach, a feeling of dreadfulness taking over.

"Annabeth, wait!" He yelled at her, but she kept walking.  
He didn't care that he had stormed out on his friends, or that everyone was now looking at him. They were merely just background noise to him.

He cursed under his breath. She was about 20 feet away from him now, and he could no longer see her face. Percy had monumentally fucked up. He decided not to waste anymore time, clumsily chasing after her, and dug his hand into his back pocket. He took out the keys, and rushed towards the black sedan parked on the sidewalk. He brusquely jammed the keys into the slot and turned on the engine. Percy moved sloppily, but curtly, making a collection of strained turns and halts, zig-zagging unto the road Catching up to her, Percy rolled down the window by the passenger seat.

"Annabeth, I can explain! Please, just," He kept the car moving slowly along the sidewalk. "stop, get in the car. I can explain!" He repeated.  
The words fell from his mouth heavily, like each word had been awarded a new syllable that had to be dragged from his lips.

Annabeth said nothing, she simply kept walking. Her eyes looked bloodshot, and in the darkness he could see the small traces of smudged eyeliner along the corner of her eyes. He repeated the words, like he was saying them for the first time, and that would make her hear him.

"She kissed me! Okay, she kissed me! I didn't know, I—" He stopped himself short and slammed his fist against the steering wheel.  
He saw her head shake and her lips move, but the words weren't directed at him, they had left with the cold autumn air.

"Dammit!" He groaned, slamming the breaks on the car.

"Did you hear me? Get in the car! Lets talk!" He yelled at her once more.  
She didn't budge, she didn't turn around and screamed at him like he hoped she would, instead she took small, shaky steps along the empty street.

A voice, in the back of his mind taunted him. You're just gonna let her walk away from you like that? Like you're nothing?. Maybe it was his wounded ego combined with the impulsivity and lack of rationality induced by the alcohol, or maybe he was simply tired of being shrugged off, and walked away from like he didn't matter, like he didn't mean anything to her. Either way, Percy was angry, and tired and, most of all, drunk. He was a time-bomb whose clock had finally expired and he was ready to explode, at anyone or anything.

He moved the gear shift to park, and got out of the car unsteadily, and slammed the door shut.

"Look at me, don't just fucking walk away!" He slurred, as he dragged his feet.  
His voice was cold and grave. His breaths were shallow and he was sure he looked like hell. She ignored him again, which only fueled his irritability and anger. Frustration poured out of his voice as he called after her.

"Stop acting like such a hypocritical bitch, and talk to me!"

That made her stop in her tracks. She turned around and faced him, her eyes grey like steel and stormier than ever. She looked down at him, burning holes with her gaze. He stood only a few feet from her, his senses slow, and unreliable. He stood up straighter trying his best to maintain what little balance he had left. There was a venomous air in the silence between them, one that cut through them like daggers. She didn't speak very much, or very loudly, but what she said was enough to unhinge him.

"You know what Percy?, fuck you. Fuck you. You call me, all high and mighty, and argue with me about some god damn, stupid texts and then you pull this shit? I don't wanna look at you, much less talk to you, and I'm not going anywhere with you. You shouldn't even be fucking driving, you're drunk, and you're full of shit." Her voice was coarse as she spoke and he could see the faint glimmer of tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.  
Her words had impaled themselves unto his skin. They stuck out like valiant tombstones left to rot on the graveyard that was his body. He could feel them, crooked and jagged on his skin.

"Stop causing such a scene and get in the fucking car, Annabeth, I'm not letting you walk alone!" Percy spoke gravely.  
His eyes were blinded by the heat inside of him. He wanted her to go with him, to leave the empty street and he wanted her to listen. He was done listening to her petty excuses and he was done trying to get on her good side. He felt like breaking something.

"Like hell I am. You can barely walk in straight line, Percy. You really think I'm getting in a car with you? You'll get us both killed. But, hey, that's alright because you want to talk." She said. She scoffed and turned away from him.

He took a few steps closer to her, his eyes murky like the ocean during a hurricane. He reached out and hastily grabbed her by the arm. This was the storm he'd been dreading for weeks, now. They were both too alike in that sense, just two fires waiting to ignite, and when they did, the results were cataclysmic. They had fought before, but this fight was different. It felt real, maybe too real. It felt like hopeless, like ultimately he'd meant nothing, had nothing. 

He felt all of the emotions he'd been bottling up for months blind him, as he tightened his grip around her unexposed arm. He couldn't see her, he couldn't focus his wild eyes. He was overwhelmed by the sudden surge of power he felt as she turned to look him in the eye.

"Let me go." Her voice was stern and her breathing fastened.

He didn't respond. His fingers dug into her skin and he heard her breath hitch. His jaw trembled with anger, his lip quivering. It was almost as if some animalistic feeling had taken over him, it was terrifying, he could sense it, from her, as well as himself. It was the small, almost inaudible whimper that snapped him out of it. The whisper that left her lips, like a paper plane, that overwhelmed him with memories he had long ago buried deep in his subconscious. Like a tidal wave, they flooded his mind, leaving behind the impression of cigarette smoke and rotting beer.

He was six, maybe seven years old, as he hid underneath their old dinning table one day after school. It'd become a game of sorts for him, to pretend he ceased to exist, and hide away from everything he simply didn't feel like facing that day. However, this was different, he could feel it somewhere within him, or maybe this was how it always was, but this specific day he'd been paying attention. His eyes were like giant green orbs plastered across his face. They darted back and forth, from one corner of the room to another, trying to catch any signs of movement. 

He hoped the man hadn't seen him. He held on tightly to one of the chair's legs, good things never happened when he was caught hiding. He was a scrawny kid, defenseless and pale, with hair too long and eyes too big. He watched closely and quietly, anxiously awaiting whatever happened next. His palms felt wet with sweat, and they slipped from the chair far too easily. He tried holding his breath to avoid making any sounds that might've gotten him caught, but the truth, he knew even at a young age, was that somethings are simply inevitable. 

The dark locks fell over his eyes, and he fought the urge to push them away. He saw shadows now, everything looked as if were behind a dark curtain. He didn't mind that much, it made him feel safer, like maybe he wasn't really there and everything was simply a very bad movie. He knew that was only an illusion. It was the stench that gave the man away, that stench always followed him, and the smoke always followed the stench. The man was big and burly, and he reminded Percy of one of the villains from his cartoons.

"Where is that punk?" He asked. His voice was slow and lazy, like the words were missing pieces to a puzzle he couldn't quite understand.  
Another voice followed his, this one was sweet and soft, and it reminded Percy of homemade meals and summer drives to Montauk beach. 

"Gabe, I don't know what you're talking about." The woman spoke, fatigue evident in her voice.

A much younger Sally spoke softly. Her curly, brown hair was tied into a messy bun, and she still wore her blue, red and white; Sweet on America uniform. There was something in her eyes that at the time Percy couldn't quite place. It wasn't until later he realized, was raw and absolute terror. 

"Don't fuck with me, woman!" He responded, setting down the can of beer on the small kitchen counter.  
She began to move past him but he grabbed her arm. His oil and grease stained fingers dug into her flesh, but she didn't flinch. 

"Tell your punk-ass son he owns me money!" He spoke louder than necessary. After all, it was only the two of the in the room, and Percy who watched quietly from the safety of the table. Sally looked him straight in the eye and spoke sternly.

"Do not call him that." 

That was her first mistake. 

"What did you just say to me?" He asked, his voice dangerously low. Percy almost couldn't make out the words. Gabe let out a sadistic laughter, that echoed inside Percy's ears.

In an instant, he saw Gabe raise his hand, and meet his mother's cheek with it, as the sick sound of the hit filled the room. He wanted to scream, but his voices was lost somewhere along the vinyl seat covers, and plastic cups on the cupboard. 

"I'll call him whatever I fucking want!" Gabe yelled at Sally, who remained motionless, holding on to her face. 

There were no more sounds, except for the crash of the beer can onto the wall when Gabe threw it across the room, and the stream of swears that fell from his mouth. He left shortly after the commotion, "to play some cards with the boys", and spoke as if nothing had happened. As soon as the doors had closed, Sally's sobs had filled the room, and Percy came out from underneath the dinning table, two words slipping continuously from his lips, I'm sorry.

That had been the first time Percy had seen Gabe hit his mom. The memory still burned, like freshly lit cigarettes in his mind. He'd never told anyone about it, he hadn't even acknowledged it with his mother the day after. It was an image, a childhood he'd spent most of his life running away from. He could stay underneath that dinning table until the end of time, but he would never be able to escape that house.

His grip had weakened, and his eyes were no longer fixed on Annabeth, but somewhere behind her. The man stood there, his bald head, beer belly, and his black beady eyes staring straight at Percy. He could almost smell the stench and smoke. Gabe, was the single most terrifying ghost from his past. No monster could compare to the memory that was forever scarred into his brain. The man smirked, a yellow-teethed loop-sided smile, stretched too widely on his face. He spoke, his eyes fixed on Percy, his voice sounded like the clash of metal. It was sharp and cold, and sent chills up his spine.

"I taught you well, didn't I?"

Suddenly, all the air escaped from his lungs, and the aftertaste of alcohol felt heavy in his stomach. His eyes stared blankly ahead, fixed on the mirage that had just appeared before him. He didn't move, he didn't respond. He heard Annabeth yell at him but it sounded faint, like she was speaking to him through a thick wall of glass. Gabe's words kept making rounds around his head.

Percy pushed himself away from her, his eyes glazing over her. He stumbled with his own feet and fell on his back. He couldn't breath, the air felt poisonous and it burned his lungs. His breaths came like short, jagged, constricted puffs of air, he couldn't quite manage to get out. There was a ringing in his ears that wouldn't stop, and his heart felt like it would burst out, and detach itself from his body. He couldn't speak, his eyes wouldn't even focus properly.

He felt as if he'd been absent in time, like everything was an awful dream. Things moved hazily around him, and no matter how much he forced his eyes to look, he couldn't see anything. Just small imprints left in his mind by things he thought, were once there. His hands shook, and his entire body trembled as he lay on the dark grey pavement. He didn't see Annabeth as she moved to his side, only felt her warm hand against his stone cold skin.

"Perce? Talk to me, are you okay? Percy!" 

Her voice was faint, like a whisper. She must've yelled something at him, but his brain couldn't process the words. He wondered how long he'd been laying there, unmoving, except for the small uncontrollable jolts his body produced. His mind was too busy reminding his lungs to breathe, but his breaths were still short and forced. The lack of oxygenation making him feel light-headed and dizzy.

Her warmth left him momentarily, and Percy hear the faint click of the door opening. He felt her wrap her arm around his torso and haul him into the backseat of the car. He tried to move, to sit upright, but his heart gave him too much of a hard time. What was happening to him? He felt like death was wrapping him around its finger. He heard her slam the door, and faintly saw her shadow get into the car with him. She quickly turned on the engine and took off hastily down the deserted road.

He saw the flash of lights, but he didn't register all the sharp twists and turns she made as she drove. His mind was fixed in one single moment, one single memory. It replayed over and over, he could hear the sobs and screams, of a terrified woman and her drunk husband. He heard the screaming of words he did not yet understand. He saw, like a blazing fire, the smoke that corrupted his lungs, and to this day still drowned him in a sea remorse and anguish. There was an abrupt stop, and she lugged him out of the car.

His memory was poor at best, he couldn't register what was happening, or where he was or how he'd gotten there, but he trusted her. He heard a collection of noises, none of them making much sense, just words floating aimlessly around him. Annabeth dragged him with her across some stairs, and hallways, only stopping to open a small, wooden framed door. 3A.

She carried him through some doors, into the bathroom. In a furor, she hoisted him into the shower and turned on the shower head. A cold stream of water, down-poured and hit Percy's back, sending shocks all over his body. There was something intensely alerting about it, that completely took him out of his trance. The water fell on his back and struck the fire that had ignited itself on his flesh. His head fell over his knees, and she haunched over himself. His black hair dripped, and stuck to his head, dark and rich like oil. His arms tightened around himself and he felt Annabeth run her hands soothingly through his soaked back.

"Shhhh, it's okay..." She mumbled, her voice hauntingly calm, as her soft hands mapped his body.

Loud, dry sobs escaped his lips and he collapsed in the small bathroom.

She had turned off the water, and left him curled up on the floor, he didn't lift his head up, he didn't look at her, he simply remained unmoving, waiting. She had left,him alone with only a folded, cream colored towel next to him, ready to be used for when he decided to. With shaky fingers, he'd taken it and wrapped it around his shoulders, covering himself from the cold air. He didn't really need a towel, he could dry himself easily, but the gesture was still nice. His eyes stung, and his throat and mouth felt extremely dry. His head pounded, but other than that he seemed to be okay. There weren't anymore ghosts in his mind, or words swirling around his head, but still he felt unhinged, and slightly crazed. He was terrified of what had happened. Of the loss of words, and control. He walked out the door, the cold hitting him sharply.

Annabeth sat, her hair damp and curling around itself, alone at a table. Her frail fingers wrapped themselves around a small mug. There was another one set for the empty chair in front of her, its heat long ago extracted from being left untouched. He approached her slowly, his gaze falling from the cup to the floor. Her eyes remained fixed on the empty air around him, she looked in his direction, but never directly at him.

"I'm sorry, I..."  
She waved her hand, dismissing whatever he was about to say. She looked at him weakly, her eyes drained of color.

"Sit down and drink this, it'll calm you down." She spoke, her voice monotonous.  
She seemed lost deep in her thoughts, but her voice was a comforting sound. She looked at him, a small, all-knowing smile played on her lips and she pushed the small mug towards him. He vaguely thought it resembled nectar.

"It's chamomile. You can drink it." She said encouragingly.  
Something about the way she looked at him, made Percy feel as if maybe she'd once sat on his end of the table as well. Except he knew, if she had, no one had coaxed her with soft towels and warm tea. He looked at her, his eyelids felt heavy and his eyes rimmed with sadness. He waited for an answer, something that would explain to him what had just happened. She let out a small breath and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She twirled a small spoon in her drink, creating small creases and raptures inside the forming patters of her own tea. She looked at him uneasily.

"You had a panic attack."


	14. Misplaced Trust and Old Friends

He felt like he'd just been slapped in the back.

"A what?" He asked setting down the lukewarm liquid.  
It felt pleasant against his tastebuds, and its subtle perfume roamed through his lungs freely and delicately.

"You've never had one before, have you?" She asked, a sad look momentarily passing over her eyes.

Percy shook his head, his gaze still fixed in the cup. He could see the bottom of the cup through the murky golden colored drink. Annabeth bit down on her lip, as she pushed her hair back. Everything around him felt cold, but she was warm. She felt comfortable, approachable, reliable. He knew her well enough, even know, when he wasn't looking at her directly, he knew she was coming up with a plan of some sort, the perfect answer.

"Basically, it feels like you're dying. They usually only last for a couple of minutes..." She continued.

"And, the cold water?" He asked curiously.

"It helps you snap out of it." She answered quickly.  
She was studying him, awaiting some sort of reaction, or explanation. One he wasn't sure he had. He waited for her to say more. When she didn't, he spoke up.

"Did I say anything? About—"

"You said lots of things Percy. None of which made much sense, you mumbled something and then, when I got you here you broke down, and now we're drinking tea." She shook her head slightly. "It doesn't matter though, words are just words." 

"It does. It does matter, to me at least." He took a deep breath, and looked at her, his green eyes taking on a blue hue in the dim light. 

"I was a jerk. I was a complete jerk to you, and still you make me tea, and answer my stupid questions, and... You haven't let me go." He ran his hand through his hair, and focused on anything but her.

He was an idiot. Faint images of what had happened between them earlier still floated around in his mind. He could still feel her skin around his fingers as he tightened his grip. He could hear the faint and hallow sound that escaped her lips as he held on. He was sober enough now, to remember the words spat at her, like daggers protruding from her body, and feel the deep and fatal blow of shame, just from looking at her. He might've been angry, and drunk, and every other thing in this world, but that did not justify any of his actions. He knew that. He knew she would forever be more deserving of anything he might've been able to offer her.

"Break up with me." He spoke, no sign of amusement in his voice.  
She looked at him reluctantly, as if waiting for him to tell her it was a joke, or that'd she'd heard wrong.

"What?"

"I said, break up with me." His voice was firm, and this time he met her eyes. He held off her stare long enough for her to understand the gravity of the matter.

There weren't any outbursts of anger, or array of insults mixed with unanswerable questions, just dead silence. When she did speak again, her voice sounded like it had burned out and all that was left was a fine trail of smoke.

"Why?" There was a panicky hitch in her tone, one that slipped past her lips as she asked the dreadful question.  
He rubbed his temple and let out a sharp breath. The answer seemed too obvious to point out. It surrounded him and made him feel small, it pushed him into a corner he no longer wanted to be in.

"Because, Annabeth... I- I could've hurt you! I could've—"

"But you didn't! You barely even touched me! Percy, where is this coming from? That was a stupid fight—" It was his turn to interrupt her, his words bursting out of his mouth as soon as his brain procured them.

"C'mon Annabeth, that was not a stupid fight, you know it wasn't! And I did hurt you, and you don't deserve to be hurt. You don't deserve this," He motioned to himself in a small, restricted movement. She was looking at him wide-eyed, not daring to speak. "Gods, it's not that I don't love you, it's... You deserve someone better. You deserve someone who can take you out and not have to worry about getting killed every two seconds, someone who isn't terrified of what they're capable of, of what they might do. You deserve normalcy. And let's face it, me... I'm a fucking mess." There was a small pause.

He felt as if someone had taken his heart out and twisted it into all sorts of knots. It was a sharp and penetrating pain that crossed through his body, like his blood had turned into lead and his body was now too heavy to carry. He felt hell-bound, they way he had when he'd learned about the prophecy, or when he'd thought his mom had died. This, he felt, was just another deathless death served to him delicately by whatever god, or fate, or deity he had managed to piss off now. But this one, weighted him down the most, it was an albatross he could no longer fathom to move. He had to let it go. Let her go.

"Percy," She began, but he spoke, finalizing his trail of thoughts.

"No! Annabeth, I've made up my mind. It's not fair to you. You're not even in love with me anymore, it's obvious, this has been dead for months now. Please. Thank you, for what you did tonight, and, I'm sorry... for everything." He started getting up, but she reached for his arm, a soft and weak attempt to stop him.

"Stop! You can't just do that, you can't just say something like that and walk away! That's not how it works!" There was a desperate plea in her voice as she tugged onto the damp and stretched out sleeves on her dress.

"Gods, you're right, you were an ass and it did hurt, but you are wrong about so many things too. You want to play the blame game, fine, tonight was a mess. But it wasn't unprecedented and it wasn't just on you." She took a deep and shaky breath, and ran her fingers through her tangled, ashy locks.

"I was the one who cancelled our dates, and didn't talk to you, and locked you out when you needed me, and I... It was because of me, that you fell in that pit." Her voice broke as she finished that statement.   
Her breaths were hallow and hard, and her eyes stung with the words not yet said .

"Annabeth,"

"It's the truth. All of that, that's on me! And I know I should've said something, done something—" She started again but he burst before she could finish. His eyes darting to her maniacally.

"Then why didn't you? Why didn't you talk to me Annabeth!"

"Because, you tried to kill yourself and I was terrified!" The words came out in a breath of air, a sudden silence feeling the room as small collections of tears threatened to fall from her glassy eyes. "I was terrified of you, for you. Everything, it was all too much... So I did what I knew how to do best and I ran away, because I didn't have a plan, and I didn't have any answers and it hurt too much! I couldn't see you, because... seeing you was just a reminder of how easy it is to lose someone..." She buried her face in her hands, brushing away her masked sadness. Her hands trembled and her voice quivered. 

Percy looked at her, the way she curled her fingers and the way her puffy, red rimmed eyes were transfixed on his. He felt like a child who had just been struck for the first time, a wave of realization coming over him. All the signs had been there, since the beginning, and he'd been too blind too see them. She had needed him, and he hadn't been there. She had needed him to be there for her, and instead he had done the exact opposite of what he'd promised her during the summer.

"I'm never letting you go." Were the words ringing in his head, he'd promised her, yet in a way that was exactly what he'd done. They had both been at huge faults, and he realized she was just as helplessly afraid as he was.

"I'm sorry..." Was all he could muster, and he repeated those words, almost like a chant. "I'm sorry..."  
She let out a small breath, and spoke, her lips dry and chapped. 

"You want to break up with me because you are no longer in love with me, I can understand that. But don't fucking leave because you think it's what's best for me Percy, it's not. Please." Her voice was stern and her gaze did not leave him. 

He stared at her, there were no words he could say that could possibly make it okay. 

"I won't."

He followed the lines of her body with his eyes, from the bones on her back, to the tremble in her hands. He captured her in that moment. A small flash of hope passed by her dull, watered down eyes. The dress hang on her loosely, probably several sizes too big. It sagged and danced in odd places of her body as she moved. He reached across and held her hand, a small and frail thing. She stretched her hand towards him, her sleeve getting caught on the edge of the small table. She rushed to pull down the dark piece of fabric, but it was too late. Percy had seen enough.

"Annabeth, what in the world?" She attempted to make leave his grip, but he pulled her newly exposed arm towards him.

Her lips gaped as her eyes moved back and forth from her pale arm, to Percy's eyes. A collection of small scrapes and scratches covered her pale arm, some raging from old, white scars, to fresher, crimson colored wounds. He looked at her worriedly, a dark fear consuming him. How much had she needed him?, he thought. He felt his throat tighten, like all the air had been jerked out of his lungs. She remained silent, devastated breaths escaping her lips.

"Annabeth?" He asked again.   
She pulled her hand out of his grip and stood up, rushing past him.

"Annabeth, talk to me! Don't push me out again! I—"

"You were gone." She yelled.  
Her voice was crude, raw with emotion. She turned around to face him, tears streaming down her face, as she looked anywhere but him.

"You were gone, and I was completely and utterly alone." She spoke softer now, like something might've broken if she spoke too loudly. Something probably had.

"But, what about camp and..." She shook her head.

"After a while, while Leo worked on the ship, Chiron suggested I returned my normal life. Here... He said it would help keep my mind busy, not be surrounded by memories and ghosts... So I did, I came here, and I went to school and I pretended that my boyfriend wasn't missing, or amnesiac, or dead." She scoffed. " 'It'll do you good, keep your mind busy,' busy, busy, busy... Like my mind would ever stop turning gears and spinning possibilities. It never stopped. It was just you, over and over and over again. And the same unanswerable question, replaying every minute of every day. Like a broken record... It was Luke, and Thalia, and my dad, and every other god damn person whose ever left." She spoke with a deep and unmistakable sorrow, her eyes glazing over him.

"You think I'm strong, and brave, and that I have all this fight in me. But I don't. I'm not any of those things, Percy! I'm the girl who ran away from her parents when she was seven, I'm the girl who couldn't save her best friend on Half-Blood Hill, I'm the girl who couldn't save Luke from going evil, who couldn't save you when you were kidnapped. Hell, I'm the girl who couldn't even save herself!" There was a silence and neither of them moved.

"I wanted to tell you, to say something, and hope that you wouldn't think I had lost it completely. I should've. Hunter said—" She spoke softly and bit her lip.

"He knew?" Percy asked, he held his hands together to keep them from trembling. A chill running through his bod with every word she spoke.  
She nodded.

"He was one of the first people to actually talk to me at school. One day, about a month or two before we left for New Rome, he was my sleeve rise up and noticed the scars. He didn't say anything at first, he just went quiet. After a while he brought it up, told me his sister did the same thing, like it was some sort of club, or something. I wanted to punch him, but he was a friend, one that I didn't have to appear to be strong in front of, or lead. Someone I didn't really have to try that hard, and pretend that I wasn't completely affected by you. It made me feel not so crazy...That's what he wanted me to tell you, that's what was on the texts you saw. Something about how it was obvious you cared about me, and that if I cared for you, I had to be honest. I was hoping it would've been less accidentally and more... I don't know. I guess different. Either way, he was right. I should've told you." The last words came rushed. 

Without another word he moved over to her, and wrapped his arms around her. He felt her breakdown, and sob into his chest. Crude and jolting, heartbreaking sobs. There was a long silence, as they fell on to the floor, holding on to each other, desperately. His body ached, as he held on, to the one piece of truth he had in his life. The room was dark, just enough light coming from the window for him to see the slight, glimpses of gold that bounced off of her curls. It was the only light needed in the room. He breathed in her lemon and vanilla scent, and kissed the top of her head. He was completely, inconceivably, stupidly in love with her.

"I know I can't make it all go away. I know that I can't make it all alright by just saying some pretty words. Trust me, I know. But I'm here for you, and I'm not leaving you alone, not if I can help it. I love you Annabeth, and you are the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me." He pressed his cheek against hers and whispered into her ear. 

He let go of her, and let the silence fill the room. They both sat, kneeling in front of each other, simply staring at the person in front of them. They remained like that for the longest time, simply keeping each other company, speaking softly about nothings, ever so often, breaking the silence with deep and long puffs of air. Percy told her about Gabe, about what it was like when he was a kid, and why he broke down on that street. No tears fell from his eyes, and his voice stayed alarmingly calm, but his hands shook. She took them in hers and kissed them, and laid her head on his shoulder. They didn't really say anything else after that, it was enough to just sit and listen to the quiet city sounds of the world outside their small shelter, and count the glowing plastic stars stuck to Annabeth's celling. The minutes went by slowly, like the night ceased to end, only for them.

After a while, when both their breathings had calmed, and their hearts no longer felt weighted down by their own, selfish fears. He turned to look at her and reached for her hand. The air felt thick and heavy as it filled up his nostrils, and there was a sudden, almost mad urge to touch her, to hold her, to brush away any remains of sadness from her tear stained cheeks. It must've been the proximity, or maybe it was the burden of words that had been released into the room hours earlier, and the heat of emotions that had clouded his judgement. Either way, he craved her and her touch. He wanted to brush up next to her, to feel the warmth emitted from her skin. She was the air he so desperately wanted to fill his lungs with. She was a gasp, and a whisper, and a scream all at once. She was home, and he'd been traveling for far too long.

There were no more words to be spoken, no more fights to be fought, just two teenagers, in a small crowded room, seeing each other for what felt like the first time. Raw, unadulterated feelings and images overwhelmed him. Every touch, kiss, fight, gaze, talk, dream, feeling came rushing to him in a collection of images and memories coated with nostalgia. The jab of uncertainty hit him as shallowed breaths consumed the silence.

They were just two pair of eyes lost in a sea of time, in-between forgetting and remembering. In-between holding on too tightly and plummeting down, loving too fiercely and walking away. He was fairly certain she must've felt it too, the urgency of longing and the ambiguity of the future; because without any reluctancy, she clashed her lips unto his, shattering any previous agreements of separation, either one of them had made.


	15. Carnal Remedies and Saltine Lips

Percy's hands were on her waist now, clinging onto her, flesh on flesh.

Her lips moved aggressively on his, as both of them danced back and forth. He could almost taste her, feeling her skin become hot at his touch. She let out a small, unsuspecting gasp as his hands lingered at the hem of her dress. They both stumbled, and crashed unto the wall behind them. 

It certainly wasn't something he was used to, this was an entirely new feeling on its own, overwhelming to the senses. Annabeth had always been the leader, the one to take charge for the both of them, but now... He felt her breath hitch and her grip tighten as his hands roamed the various parts of her unexposed skin. Then again, he was the one with his back against the wall as she placed long, open mouthed kisses on his lips. There was something ultimately alluring about having Annabeth mold into him, about getting a reaction almost immediately whenever he dragged his curious hands to a new spot. It was, for lack of a better word, hot and it boosted Percy's confidence like nothing else. He decided to take advantage of the situation, and turned them around, pressing her back gently against the wall.

He brushed his lips against hers, slowly, breathing in her air. Then, he traced the soft outline of her jaw with his mouth. He was completely consumed in her. Her hair, her taste, her smell, everything was addicting and he felt intoxicated. Percy traced a line of kisses down her neck, onto her collarbone, savoring each inch of skin as he left his marks. Like a trail temporarily tattooed onto her body. She ran her hands through his already ruffled hair, and threw her head back against the wall. With eyes half closed, she let her hands roam through his own body, as their breaths fastened. He could feel his own heart, pounding violently against his chest.

It felt good to touch her, to have her touch him, not necessarily in a sexual way, although he thought (or more accordingly hoped) that was where they were rapidly heading. His hands moved up her waist, through the side of her torso, until he felt the hem of her bra underneath the fabric. Layers, there were too many between them. He wanted to tear off her dress, and inhale her. He imagined her, with her dress hiked up, and her legs wrapped around his waist, rasping out his name. His blood boiled, and rushed towards all kinds of places.

Gods, he wanted her. Every single piece of her. He wanted to be tangled up in her, until neither one of them remembered where one ended and the other began. Percy felt a small whimper escape his throat. He needed this, to feel her. To know that she wasn't just a ghost in his memory, that she was there, living, breathing, concrete. That she was with him. That she too was caught up in the moment, that she too acknowledged they were burning through each other's bloodstreams like poison, devouring everything that stood in their way.

He stopped kissing her body, long enough to look at her. Annabeth's eyes were wide open, and her lips were slightly parted as her chest rose up and down with her heavy, shaky breaths. A pale light came through the small window. It barely hit either of their faces, but he knew they both must've looked the same. Sweaty, dazed, breathless. Overcome by each other's own selfish desires and yearning. In that moment, she looked older, more like a woman than his childhood friend, and by the way she was looking at him, he suspected he did too. But she was still a girl, and he was still a boy, and in the eyes of the entire universe, they were still the same kids who had been running from the world's atrocity, for years now.

There was a pause. A long moment of silence before either of them dared to say a word. They didn't remember how they had gotten to where they had, or how many things they had stumbled upon or pushed to the ground in their manic frenzy, but the truth was, it didn't really matter. She reached up, and gently touched the side of his face. A roughness met her touch, a stubble, she noticed.

"I forgot to shave." He explained as he touched his own jaw, and cupped her hand with his. His eyes darted down, before looking at her as she spoke.

He felt as if the oxygen had suddenly become scarce in the room.

"I love you." She whispered in the dark. She didn't stutter, or take her time. It was abrupt and unprecedented but he didn't care, because he understood it completely.

"I love you too. You know I do." Percy spoke lowly, as he moved in closer to her, his lips lingering on hers.

"Beth... We don't... We can just stay, if you want to. We don't have to do anything, I won't push you to do anything..." The words fell out of his mouth like a jumbled mess.

He wanted her desperately, that much was true, but he wanted her to want him too.

"No! I mean, yes... I mean.." Annabeth spoke quickly before clearing her throat, and correcting herself, steadying her breath.

"I mean, I want this... with you. I– I want to have sex with you Percy, if you want to that is..." She murmured, her gaze falling to the floor as she spoke the last words.

There was a nervous tone in her voice that matched his own, and he felt her fingers fidget in his own hands.

"You do? I mean, yeah, I do too... you know, um, have sex. With you, I mean, obviously with you, who else would I want to have sex with..." A small smile had crept onto her lips and she cut his babbling short with kiss.

He assumed his cheeks were bright red, because he felt like all the blood that had previously been on different parts of his body, was now all on his face. She moved softly against him, leaving behind a lingering taste in his mouth. The nervousness between them seemed to fade away, as their lips moved together, completely in sync. Annabeth began to undo the buttons on his shirt, exposing his bare chest, as Percy toyed with the small zipper in the back of her dress, starting to undo it, ever so slightly.

"I still have the scar." She said quietly against him, almost in a whisper.

"Hmm?" Her breathing was short and constricted. His lips had found their way to her neck, again. 

"From when I took that knife. From Ethan... It never healed properly so, I'm telling you. I still have the scar." She spoke nervously and looked at him.

Her hair cascaded down one side of her face, as she self consciously twirled around with it.

"Where?" Percy asked softly, his eyes focused on hers as his hands pulled down the zipper gently, letting the black fabric fall to the ground and reveal her newly exposed body. She guided his hand, across the small of her back, up her frail body. Just underneath the side of her breast, half covered by the band of her bra, he felt the soft, rubbery skin of scar tissue.

"There are a few more, but that's the worst one, so..." She began, but his hand reached upward, over chest and pulled her into a hug.

"Gods Annabeth, you have no idea how in love I am with you, or how beautiful you are..." He whispered into her ear, and pressed his forehead against hers.

She didn't speak, but her breaths became softer and less jagged. Without breaking away from his gaze, she moved besides him, her fingers curled tightly around his. This was it, a quiet agreement passed between them as he followed her lead, a tingling sensation settling itself on his fingertips.

"Wait here for a sec..." She whispered into his ear as she brushed up against him, sending goosebumps all over his body.

Percy's followed her faint outline as she headed into the bathroom. Without turning on any of the lights, she reached down into the cabinet under the sink and took something out. He shifted uneasily on his feet, a million thoughts swirling around his head. His palms were definitely sweaty, and he felt his stomach acids burn in his gut. He tried to casually lean against the cool wall while he waited for Annabeth, but instead, stumbled awkwardly, producing a loud stump as his shoulder hit the wall.

"Are you alright?" She called out from the bathroom, looking up at him.

"Yeah, I'm good." He spoke, and silently bit his lip to keep from cursing at his clumsiness as he looked around embarrassedly.

His breathing quickened as he saw her exit the bathroom. He was suddenly very well aware of his surroundings. Of his incessant fidgeting, and the uneven tapping of his foot, and the fact that he probably needed deodorant or a shot of vodka, or something to calm down his nerves. She stood before him and Percy's eyes wandered elsewhere. He hadn't really looked at her, he hadn't dared to yet. The fact that she stood in front of him expectantly in only her underwear made Percy's hear beat that much faster. The air felt hot and heavy, and he suddenly felt all of his previous confidence seemed to drain from his body. How was he supposed to do this, when he was too embarrassed to even look at her?

"Perce?" She asked trying to get a better look at the expression on his face. 

"Hm? Oh, right." He turned to face her and saw what she was handing him.

It was a small square packet, with some shiny design on it. TROJAN, it read. How fitting, he thought.

"Where did you—"

"Your mom." She spoke absentmindedly, and Percy gaped at her. 

"What?" He asked horrified, which earned him a small laugh from Annabeth.

"There's actually a kind of funny story behind that, um... You were definitely right about her thinking that we were screwing." She said, a small smile playing on her lips.

Percy's cheeks turned bright red.

"Oh Gods..." He mumbled covering his face, pure embarrassment overcoming him.

"She mailed it to me, there was a note and everything–" 

"Please stop" Percy said and a burst of laughter escaped Annabeth's lips.

"Ugh, no I can't even think about this right now, you're giving me a complex!" He complained, which only made her laugh more.

He smiled along as she laughed, and pulled her towards him by the waist. She was pressed against him now, and he could feel her breath trickle down his skin. A small smile still lingering on her damp, pink lips. Although some of the tension in the room had eased, he could still feel Annabeth swallow hard as her chest rose unevenly, neither of them too sure of what to do next. This was a completely uncharted territory for Percy. Should he kiss her now? Hold her hand? Take off his jeans?

He'd never had much experience when it came to girls. Besides Annabeth, he'd never really had any other serious relationship, and even though they'd been dating for more than a year, everything still felt very new to him. They'd never talked about their sexual experiences (or lack of, in his case) but he's always thought she'd assumed he was a virgin, nevertheless, he wanted to impress her, no he felt like he needed to. His ego was the one taking charge of the situation now.

He lowered his head a little, meeting her lips. His hands were now careless wanderers, taking in as much as they could. Letting go of the small packet, He traced imaginary lines through her back, and raked his fingers through her curls. His hands seemed to have minds of their own. He tried to lower her down the best way he could without breaking the kiss, however, his lips were no longer on hers, but instead began making their way down her neck and chest, as he felt her settle on top of the ruffled, silky sheets. He felt her kiss the side of his temple, and cheeks as she his naked chest. He pushed his own body upwards, letting his hair fall in his dark green eyes, and she moved with him. Rising like a wave to meet him, her body arching towards him as her thighs instinctively brushed up next his exposed hip. He let out a sharp and heavy breath into the her as she moved, brushing her lips over his jaw and towards his Adam's apple.

"Are you sure...about...this?" He breathed, a soft groan escaping his throat as he settled his hands on her hips.

She stopped to look at him, her eyes barely open.

"Gods, Percy, yes! I'm sure!" She teased, cupping his face with her hands and letting a small, mischievous smirk play on her lips.

Gods, that's sexy, Percy thought.

He bit down, into his lower lip and settled himself over her again, taking in the sight before him. Her hair was scattered all over the pillow and her eyes glazed ove, lazily, small traces of a smile still dabbling on her lips. One of her bra straps had fallen down and he could see the places he had left kisses in her body. His hand moved over to her mid back, reaching the small clasp. She must've had the same idea, because Percy felt her hands undo his belt and jeans in one swift motion. She moved quickly over his body, trailing over his lean torso, sending shocks all over his body. He fumbled around with the clasp, until he finally managed to undo it after a couple of seconds. Annabeth's breath hitched as he awkwardly tossed away the dark piece of fabric.

Her left hand instinctively went up the right side of her body to cover herself, where years ago, the war had left its last physical imprint upon her skin. A clear, white gash ran all the way from the side of her right breast, to her back. Percy still remembered how that had happened, it'd been during the battle of Manhattan. Ethan had meant to strike him, but she had gotten in the way. She'd taken a sword for him, and by doing so, she had saved Percy's life, that was just one of the many times she had done that. He ran his hand up her curves, and settled it over hers. Before she could speak, he leaned down again, and kissed the small, discolored lump of skin she was so keen on hiding.

He glanced at her and saw a quiet understanding in her eyes, an encouraging gleam passing over them. He kissed, and bit and sucked; exploring every soft corner of her body. He brushed his lips over hers, and her cheeks, wrists, chest, soft torso; his lips were rambling tourists, worshipping her body like a shrine. It was almost as if he were speaking with each caress, begging for her forgiveness, like he planned to heal each and every one of her wounds whenever he met her flesh.

She let out soft and consistent moans, as incohesive thoughts spilled out of her, most of them beginning with his name. He could almost feel her ignite herself in his arms, as his mouth continued to follow unexplored trails in her body. He felt as if an entire galaxy would form at her wake, hot and dense state full of endless possibilities. He shuffled on top of her to get a hold of the metallic package that had been left alone on the floor. What little words she spoke, came in urgent heaps of breath. In a very short amount of time, the both discarded, whatever undergarments were left on their bodies and proceeded down, perhaps the single most carnal sin. 

Her fingers curled around his shoulders, engulfing him like flames in pleasure. She was a wild fire, free and light on her feet. Expanding and scorching through his body, leaving nothing behind, but the hot, burning sensations of ashes at her touch. He was hers, pure oxygen ready to be consumed, and Gods, was she dying to breathe. He, on the other hand, was like the sea. Impatient, an uncontrollable, unstoppable force of nature. He overcame and washed away. He shifted like the tides, constantly switching between giving and taking. He swept her thoughts, and words, and breath away with the current; and provided her with the washed up safety of his equally aggressive, and gentle arms. They battled each other endlessly, to see who could over power who. Saltine kisses collapsing with searing embraces. One jolting sensation followed by another. Groans and pants, and quivers and trembles engulfed them both, as a sheer layer of sweat nestled itself smoothly on their bodies. They were a horizon on the verge of explosion.


	16. Star Maps and Mute Questions

Percy laid on his back, his naked body covered only by the white, satin sheets; as Annabeth snuggled closely to his chest, quietly breathing down his neck as she pointed at the patterns created by the small plastic stars above them.

 

They had both calmed down from their previous adrenaline rushes and had decided to lay down, letting their bodies nestle in the comfort provided by the run-down mattress. She remained close to him, her hair pushed back, splattered across his chest, as she spoke softly into his neck.

 

"What about that one?" She asked, aiming her finger at the small cluster of glow in the dark dots that resided over them.

He took a deep breath and looked in the direction her finger was signaling.

 

"Um... Leo?" He spoke, unsure of his answer.

She plopped herself on her elbows and turned to face him, a sly grin plastered on her face.

 

"That... is actually correct Mr. Jackson." She said and kissed him on the lips, as her fingers traced invisible lines across his skin.

"I have my moments." He smiled, and ran his hands through her golden curls.

 

They kept that up for awhile, and every time he named the correct figure, he'd get a kiss. He decided astronomy wasn't half bad after all. Annabeth continued talking about the stars and galaxies, meanwhile, he began drawing his own set of constellations down her back, creating and connecting small circles with his fingers. He could barely understand what she was saying, but he didn't mind hearing her babble on about the immensity of the universe. After all, her voice was warm and soft, and for some reason it reminded him of spring. It was an unique sound, strictly reserved for post 3 AM conversations. The way she drew out the raspy syllables, letting her true Californian accent creep in, and spoke in quick whispers because she was too lazy to raise her voice, small yawns interrupting her stream of thoughts every now and then, made Percy realize how strange it was that he could know so much about her, and not know anything at the same time.

 

Her smile stretched itself on her lips, as slight traces of pink still burned on her cheeks and her eyes seemed to flicker like candles in the dark. That was Annabeth's real smile, unlike the small smirks she'd thrown his way every now and then, Percy noted. It brought to warm summer days of fooling around Camp Half-Blood. He could almost feel the sun hitting his back and the salt in the air from the lake fill up his nostrils. He could hear Annabeth's laughter ringing in his ears, as he chased her down the vast strawberry fields, sweat trickling down his chest and forehead. He pulled her in closer, tightening his grip around her naked waist. Percy felt her entire body pressed against him, her heart beating at an even pace, as he ran his fingers up her bare back and pushed the soft honeyed ringlets away from her face. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her eyes were brilliant silver orbs that followed his every move, her cheeks still remained rosy and her lips were soft like velvet petals. When he'd first seen her, he'd thought she was a princess, a vision fabricated by the drug-induced state he'd been in when he'd first woken up at the infirmary. But those attributes no longer seemed appropriate, she had evolved beyond that, and he had clearly noted she was neither vision nor a princess. She was more like a storm with eyes and a beating heart. She had entire galaxies constantly forming themselves in her mind, some that even she didn't know of, and lightning that ran through her veins. There was a battle cry within her, an ancestral burden that constantly shackled her bones and weighted her heart, but she carried it effortlessly. She was gorgeously fascinating, and he half suspected he'd been a goner ever since he'd first laid eyes on her. No matter how many times he got lost, she always brought him back.

 

"Stop looking at me like that." She mumbled, self-consciously tapping her fingers on his chest.

His eyes lingered on her face a while longer, before his gaze fell on on her hand, a small smile remaining on his lips.

 

"Sorry, it's just, kinda hard not looking at you." He admitted, before adding "That was cheesy, wasn't it?"

"That was painful." She said, a small laugh falling from her lips. He moved his hand over hers, gently rolling his thumb against her skin.

 

He could feel the raspy tissue surrounding her forearms from the cuts. They were small, splattered like paint on the canvas that was her inner wrist. Although she had made sure to hide them well, and most of the marks were faded, a collection of scarlet slashes still contrasted gravely against her paper-like skin. She began to pull away, but he held on to her, his eyes tracing each line, new and old, wondering how many nights like that one had she felt the urge to sacrifice a piece of herself in order to warn off the demons, she alone had created. It was a haunting image that overwhelmed him with a cold curiosity, whenever Percy tried to imagine it. He wondered how she did it, whether she cried whenever she held the blade against her porcelain skin; or did her face remain emotionless with the same stone hard determination she was so famously known for? Was there anything he should say? Anything he could say? Numerous questions made their way into his consciousness, but, most of all, he wondered how many of those scars he'd been responsible for. Guilt ran through his veins as thick as blood, and his mouth felt dry.

She looked away from him, her hand turning into a small fist within his. A clear look of disappointment washed over her face as she waited for a reaction, but he remained silent.

 

"Please say something, don't just look at me like that..." She said quietly, hoping to gain a response.

 

He shook his head softly, leaning against the pillow, and shifting on the battered mattress. He faced her, his eyes fluttered, focusing on hers. They were face to face now, the faint noise of cars rushing by, feet below them was the only sound to be heard in the dark room. His eyes seemed to float aimlessly on his face, like rapidly shifting emerald orbs in the darkness, and every movement seemed like a game of shadows. She took a shaky breath before speaking again, but her voice was stern.

 

"What happens now?" She asked softly. 

"Hmm? What do you mean?" His voice was coarse when he spoke, his gaze never leaving hers.

"I mean... After tonight, what happens? Are we just gonna to go back to our lives, like... Like we're fine? Pretend we're just some normal couple? Like 'Hey look! It's Percy and Annabeth, going to the movies' and everything's peachy?" She said sarcastically, rolling off of him. He sat up next to her, leaning on his side.

"Annabeth, I'm not sure I'm following..." He let out a small sigh, "You want us to just, breakup then?" He asked, studying her closely as she ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

"No, but... Percy, things are not gonna go back to how they were—"

"Of course they're not gonna go back to how they were before!" He interrupted her, letting out a small sarcastic chuckle, before speaking again.

"Look, I know things aren't going back, I was never expecting them to... In fact, normalcy was never in the fucking panorama for us, we both know that and things have changed but–" He was cut off short by her, her eyes timidly meeting his.

"Exactly, things have changed. A lot." She reached up, and touched the side of his face. Her hand were cold against his skin, but he didn't flinch.

"Look, I meant everything I said, every word–"

"So did I!" He spoke, but she ignored him. She glanced down at her scratched wrists and took another shaky breath before speaking again.

"But I'm not going to hold you responsible to a promise that simply isn't fair. I don't regret tonight, and I'm not having second thoughts about you, because that's not it. I love you, I really really love you, but I'm not gonna be the one to drag you down this shit-hole." She spoke quietly, her voice almost a whisper. He looked at her dumbfounded for a few seconds before properly reacting to what she was saying.

"Are you serious? I'm sorry Annabeth, but... Where have you been for the last couple of months? Cause in case you haven't noticed, I'm already in the shit-hole with you–" He grabbed her hands, warming them with his.

"–You have to believe me when I say I'm in this for the long run, okay? We both had our stuff going on and we both handled everything in extremely suckish ways, but if I could go back and change one thing, it would be not talking to you sooner! Cause, the truth is, you help me be better. And in this entire world, you were the only one these past few months, who understood everything perfectly; and talking to you, tonight, on the bridge, it made me not feel so shitty about everything... No matter what, you're always going to be the one thing that makes sense to me, you're it Annabeth. This, is it for me..." He took a deep breath, shifting his gaze downwards.

"Even tonight... I know it's... silly, but I really didn't think this is how it would go down for the first time, and don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it! I really did, but it's not at all what I envisioned, but... You know, I don't even care that much because I'm here with you, and honestly, that's all I need. You." He could feel his cheek's begin to heat up, as they took on a soft shade of pink. He spoke quietly, but loud enough for her to hear his words.

 

There was a small silence before she spoke again.

 

"Wait... You're a virgin?" She gaped at him, her eyes widening a bit. Her question catching him by surprise.

"That's the only thing you got from all that?"

"No, I heard everything else, that just, it caught me by surprise I guess." She said bumblingly, and he turned away, fidgeting with his fingers.

"Well yeah, I'm.. a virgin, well, I mean not now, obviously! But, um.. up until a few hour ago, yeah, I was. You thought differently?" He mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

He knew she must've been laughing at his poor communication and social skills, probably teasing him somewhere in the back of her mind. Instead a small smile crept into her face, as she placed a soft kiss on her dorky boyfriend's lips.

 

"I don't care Percy, it was a stupid question, I just assumed–" She started.

"With who?"

"I don't know! I didn't really think about it, I just assumed that you'd done this before." She said with a small shrug, and curled her fingers around his.

"If it makes you feel any better, it was my first time too..." She spoke quietly. He turned to look at her, and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"Are we good now?" He asked, keeping his eyes fixed on hers.

"We're good." She spoke softly, and he could feel her breath on his jaw.

He began to lean back into the mattress, but she stopped him, grabbing his forearm.

 

"Wait, you should probably call your mom, I mean... I don't want Sally to worry about you the whole night, at least send her a message saying we left the party late, and I offered you my couch or something." Annabeth spoke, her thumb drawing circles over his tattoo.

"Right, good thinking," He spoke and quickly got up from the mattress.

 

He looked for his jeans for a couple of seconds, until he spotted them in the darkens, a small pile of clothes laying on the shiny, wooden floor. Percy wondered how they'd managed to get all the way to the other side of the room.


	17. Morning Sun and Raven Hope

Percy made his way out of Annabeth's bed as quietly as possible.

She was still sleeping, her curls plastered all around the pillow. Outside, grey clouds tinged with orange filled the sky, but that didn't stop the city that never sleeps from rustling. He sat upright, as his eyes scanned the room for his clothes. He saw them, the small pile by the bathroom door, where they'd been left the night before. A small rush of blood flowed to his cheeks when he remembered everything that had happened in vivid detail. A small smile crept on to his lips as he admired the gorgeous blonde that rested on the bed besides him. Percy leaned in and softly kissed her cheek.

"I love you." He whispered into her still dreaming ear.

He wondered if this was what an entire future with her would look like. If waking up next to her would always feel like waking up from a dream. There were so many things he wanted to say, all the stupid little things he'd imagined them having in a faraway future. He wanted to whisper them in her ear, to tell her about the house they'd have by the oceanside somewhere, someday; dark blue with a white rimming, and a beautiful porch. He wanted to tell her how the first thing he was going to do was get a dog, a normal one, because he'd never lived in a place long enough to own one, but that house on the oceanside, that was permanent. She was permanent. He wanted to tell her that he knew they were seventeen and it was crazy to think this way but he wanted this, all of it, with her forever. That he loved the way she smelled like lemons, and how he wished he could stay, but he knew his mom would kill him if he didn't show up in his bedroom. There were many things Percy wished he had said, and maybe he would someday he would, but that morning, he kept quiet.

He stealthily got up from the mattress, grabbing his boxers from besides him and put them on. The room's cold air hit his back as he left the comfort of the warm bed, and went to get the rest of his clothing. He first grabbed his pants and then his shirt, which had only been a few feet away from the jeans. Percy pulled the navy blue shirt over his shoulder, and pulled up his jeans, before actually doing either of them. He heard a small voice come from behind him, as he zipped up his pants.

"You're leaving?" Annabeth whispered, still half-asleep, her eyes still fixed on him.

"I have to, my mom..."

 

"I understand," She whispered as she held the sheets closer to her chest. "I just wish we had more time."  
Her voice was a soft knife that pierced through the air and stuck to him. He stopped buttoning his shirt midway and turned to her, walking slowly. She was sitting on the mattress, covering up everything the white sheet, except for her naked shoulders. Her hair was pushed to the side, and although she gave him a small smile, her eyes were a brewing storm, grey clouds moving hastily on the horizon. He approached her, and kneeled, meeting her eyes.

"We will, we'll have all the time in the world, I promise you that." He mumbled looking at her, his hand softly touching the side of her face.  
She ran her hand over his, and held it for a few seconds before whispering,

"Go, your mom's gonna kill us both if you don't get to your house before she wakes up." A small smile played on her lips, she gave him a soft kiss before letting him go.

He smiled at her, and grabbed his remaining possessions before heading towards the door. He could begin to see the sky begin to change color as the first traces of the sun appeared. He headed to the door, halfway out before he heard Annabeth speak again.

"Oh and Percy, I love you too."

 

Percy climbed up the thin metal stairs that lead the way into his bedroom, as innocuously as he could.

He wiped his hands on his jeans, getting rid of the small layer of rust he had collected as he'd made his way up. The harsh wind hit his back, sending shivers all over his body. He mentally slapped himself for leaving his jacket at Annabeth's place. He could see his bedroom window, a small rectangular opening about 20 feet above him now. Percy grabbed the next metal railing and hauled himself up, his fingers tightening around the frosty, iron handle. Once up, he decided to take another break in order to warm his numb fingers. For some reason, climbing back up into his room felt twice as difficult as he remembered it being only a few months back. He wondered wether he was simply out of practice or if his jeans were to blame, after a very thorough analysis, he decided it was the jeans. He was about to grab the next railing, when he heard a rustling behind him.

Percy jumped back, almost plummeting 30 feet into his death. He grabbed on to the rails, as his heart thumped in his chest. He turned around quickly, scanning his surroundings, his hand moving to his pocket and taking a hold of Riptide. Out of the corner of his eyes he spotted some movement, a shadow at the very end of the platform. In one swift action, Percy uncapped Riptide, and pointed it towards the intruder. Inches aways from the blade's pointed tip, stood a small, black and white feline.

"Meow" It replied, looking straight at the boy with the sword, almost as if saying, Wow dude, Chill. Percy let out a small breath in relief, and drew away his weapon.

"Seriously, you can't sneak up on people like that." He said to the cat, who in return wrapped itself around Percy's legs, letting out a small purr.

"Yeah, okay, that's sweet buddy but I have to go." He said, but the cat didn't seem to listen. Percy smiled, before stepping away from the small creature, and making his way up the next railing to his room.

He stood stood in front of his window, as the cars zoomed through the streets below him. He slid the window up, as quietly as possible. The last thing he wanted was his parents finding him sneaking into his bedroom again. Before he'd gone back to bed with Annabeth, he'd sent a text to his mom, telling her not to wait up for him, cause he wasn't sure at what time he'd be getting back from the party. (He usually never lied to his mom, but this had certainly counted as a special 'circumstance'). She'd replied "Okay", with a heart emoji; a skill she had only recently acquired. Percy hoped she'd assumed he'd gotten back late and not that he'd spent the night with his girlfriend. No matter how close he was with his mother, this was definitely not a conversation he was having with her.

He opened the window slightly and peeked inside the room, through the blinds. It was in the exact condition he had left it in the precious night, which only meant neither of his parents had set foot inside it during the night. He made a silent prayer to Poseidon as he duck his head, and placed his left foot through the opening. He almost felt like he was in a James Bond movie; except he wasn't, and he was Percy, so naturally something was bound to go wrong.  
As soon he placed his second foot on the floor, he sensed something was going to go badly. His shirt collar had gotten stuck on one of the blinds, making him quickly lose his balance. Everything had been going smoothly, until he came crashing down to the floor, the blinds plummeting down with him. He silently cursed, under his breath, laying motionless on the ground.

"So much for that prayer, dad." He whispered to himself.

He got up slowly, fixing the blinds behind him and inspected the room. Everything seemed to be the same way he'd left them the night before, which meant that neither Paul nor Sally had stepped into his room since the previous night. Kicking off his shoes, Percy stepped closer to the bed and glanced at the old alarm clock by his bedside table.

5:45 AM, it flashed in bright red colored lettering. He ran his hand through his hair before plopping himself on the bed. He laid on the dark blue sheets, motionless, staring at the celling, his eyes heavy with sleep. He could hear his own heart beat echoing through the walls, as thoughts made their way into his consciousness. He though about the last couple of months, how he'd laid down on that same bed, staring at that same celling, with that same unprecedented introspection he was doing now. It was the same story, over and over again, but this time it felt different. Things were changing, he could feel it within him. It was as quick, and sudden as a bird's fluttering wings, a passing moment, but it was there. Something he'd seemed to have forgotten about during the last few months of his life, a flickering flame left to die, only to find it burning as hot and bright as the moment you had left it. Hope.

A small smile made its way into his lips, eyes still heavy with sleep, but unable to close. His mind wandered along the lines of of the walls, and frames that decorated the room. He knew his few seconds of clarity weren't life changing. He wasn't magically fixed, or entirely okay. He was still the same troubled kid he'd been, even before he ever knew the truth about himself, but for now things seemed a little better. This was his silver lining, splattered over the walls covered in memories stored away in his mind. As his eyelids closed, Percy wondered what would've happened to him, had things played out differently. Had the fates, or the gods, or whatever ultimate force out there had chosen a different path for him. Had he been alone all this time, would he still be here at all? The question swirled around his mind, unanswered; but as he drifted off into unconsciousness a single image flashed in his mind, before sleep took over.  
A boy, with raven-like hair and onyx colored eyes, and frail body that shook uncontrollably whenever the wind blew, and Percy wondered why after all this time, he was only now thinking about the boy whose bones were a graveyard left to rot.


	18. Winter Parks and New Beginnings

The phone rang five times before Percy heard the voice pick up.

It was the last week of winter break, and the cold wind cut through the city like a freshly sharpened knife. A thick, white layer of snow decorated New York City's only patch of green, making it look like a winter wonderland. He breathed in the frozen air, as he made his way through the snowy forest that once was Central Park. Miniature snowflakes stuck themselves to his jacket, leaving behind small, wet patches on the dark piece of cloth. If he was being honest, he liked the park more like this, despite the cold.

Everything around him, except for the steel grey pathways, was coated in a layer of frost. Some couples were making their way down one of the pathways, meanwhile children everywhere, ran around and played with the snow. Some were dragging their parents around to go see "Santa Claus", others were too busy rolling on the ground to pay any attention to any pedestrian walking by, one kid even smiled at Percy before he took off running. The kid had taken one look at him before excitedly running away, a smile plastered on his lips. Percy shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, before he continued down the small, stone pathway. His hands gripped the small communication device tightly as the wind blew in his direction.

"Hello, Percy-Kelp Face-Jackson." The girl's voice flooded his ears.

"Nice to hear from you too, feather brain." He responded with a chuckle.  
He could hear her laughter through the other end of the line.

"Still better than having a head full of fish food," She joked, to which he nodded absentmindedly, before remembering she couldn't see him.

"Don't start with me Chase!" He complained, although he was still smiling.  
A couple of kids pushed past him, playing what seemed to be a very intense game of tag.

"Tag, you're it!" One of the boys yelled as he ran past Percy.

"Where are you? Are you playing... Tag?" Annabeth asked, and he could hear the confusion in her voice, which was something that was very rare for her.  
Percy let out a light chuckle.

"I'm not playing tag with anyone, I'm at Central Park!" He responded.

"What are you doing there? It's freezing out! I swear Percy if you catch something—"

"Relax, I just came for a walk... I'm heading back now." He spoke into the phone, dubiously, while kicking the pebbles at his feet.

Percy thought about telling Annabeth about the idea that had been roaming around, in the back of his mind lately. It'd started the morning he'd snuck into his room after the night from the party a few weeks back. It'd been strange, right before he'd fallen asleep, for whatever reason, he'd thought of Nico DiAngelo. As soon as he'd closed his eyes he dreamed about the son of Hades' journey through Tartarus, alone. When he woke up, he'd felt as if the oxygen in the room had suddenly become scarce. He'd thought that even though the war was over, there were still many things wrong in a world where things like that happened.

 

He'd told Annabeth when he walked her to school the following day, but she had just kept quiet. She held her coffee close to her body, trying to absorb its warmth before shaking her head, helplessly.

"Shit like that happens to demigods all the time Percy. One minute you have someone you think you'll always count on, the next that person's gone. That's just life." She said, staring straight ahead.

Percy felt a pang of guilt, he knew she was right, of course. When you were constantly being threatened by monsters and angry gods and goddesses, the people around you tended to be in serious danger. The people you cared about could end up betraying you, or with their memories taken away, or dead. Even if you made friends who seemed to be in the same situation as you, sooner or later you would have to say goodbye. Life was already hard without adding magical greek immortal beings to the equation, being a demigod simply made things harder. He shook his head, softly biting into his lip.

"Well, it shouldn't be that way, no one should have to go through that alone." He'd responded, while looking at his feet, kicking the ground softly.

"You're right, it shouldn't be that way, but it is. You can't save everyone Percy." Annabeth had said, taking a hold of his hand, and resting her head on his shoulder as they walked.

 

That had been the end of their conversation about the subject, but the thought hadn't exactly left his mind. It wasn't simply the dreams about Nico that were bothering him either, it was everything. Every night he'd have these dreams, no, flashes. Memories of things, some that weren't even his. He felt as if his subconscious was trying to tell him something, he just didn't know what it was. Things just felt...Odd, out of place.

He thought about the scars on Annabeth's wrist. He hadn't seen any new ones in weeks, which was a good thing, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel responsible for them in the first place. She didn't exactly talk much about it, he understood, there are somethings you simply can't convey in words. The only time he'd ever asked her about them, after knowing she'd hurt herself, she'd told him it hadn't been his fault, that that was just life. He hadn't pressed her on it, he knew that if it had been him, he wouldn't have wanted anyone to ask him about it, not even if it was his girlfriend.

 

"Jackson... Earth to Percy... PERSEUS JACKSON!" Annabeth's voice rang in his ears, breaking him away from the memory.  
His ear felt warm from having the phone pressed to the side of his head, and he no longer knew where he was standing.

"Huh? What? I'm here, I'm here!" He said confused, staring blankly ahead. Where the hell am I?, he thought to himself.  
In the few seconds he'd spaced out, he had somehow managed to step into a totally new area of the park. Great, Percy thought to himself.

"Finally ladies and gentlemen, he speaks!" She said mockingly, and Percy rolled his eyes.

"I think I might be a little lost..." He spoke sheepishly into the phone.

"Define a little."

"I have no idea where I am right now." He said, looking around, trying to pinpoint his location.

"Wait... but weren't you in Central Park?" Annabeth asked, taken aback a little.

"Well, yeah... I think I still am." Percy said, noticing the trees.  
That was a good sign.

"Then how are you lost?" She asked impatiently, Percy thought about it for a second.

"Well, Annabeth, Central Park is a pretty big park." He said sarcastically, he could feel her rolling her eyes at him through the phone.

"Yeah, but you've lived here your entire life, haven't you? How does someone even get lost in Central Park, they have like, huge signs and stuff!" Percy could hear the exasperation in her, the truth was he was asking himself that exact same question.

"I got distracted, okay!" He said defensively.  
There was a bridge a few feet away from him, and more trees. He wondered if maybe he should've just turn back, but his feet were starting to ache.

"With WHAT?" A high pitched voice spoke into the phone, and Percy could practically see her throwing her hands into the air in frustration.  
She probably would've hit him for being so out of it.

Percy shrugged, trying to clear his thoughts. He dug his hand deeper into his pocket, as a single gust of wind blew in his face.

"It doesn't matter, I'm still very much lost." He said, taking in his surroundings.

"Oh my gods... your head really is full of kelp isn't it?" She said, a small laugh escaping her lips as she said the last part.  
He smiled shyly as he crossed the tiny bridge. He saw a few people gathered up ahead, so he assumed he couldn't be completely immersed into the wilderness of New York City.

"I have found the humans, I think I'm good!" He said jokingly and he heard her laugh, which made him smile.  
Percy thanked the gods for his not-so-horrible sense of direction.

"That's a first step, now you just have to, you know, make your way back, Seaweed Brain." She asked lightheartedly, and Percy smiled.

There was a pause before Percy spoke again. "I was thinking about maybe visiting camp, I don't know..." He said abruptly, making his way back to one of the park's main pathways.  
"Okay... Why so serious? What's up?" She said her tone suddenly turning more solemn than before.  
Percy bit his lower lip. He wondered how could she already tell how he was feeling, without even looking at him.  
He took a deep breath.

"It's like... I keep having these dreams Annabeth and... They're not even dreams anymore, you know? They're like these... Flashes, memories, and some aren't even mine!" Percy said, struggling to find the right words to explain what was happening. He lifted his gaze from the ground, he could already see the city's skyline in front of him.

"Wait, hold up, what exactly do you mean?" She asked, curiosity flooding her voice.

"Well I'm not entirely sure how to explain it, I just... I feel like something is missing. Like things aren't bad, but they aren't exactly great either." He said, his fingers still fidgeting inside his coat's pocket.

"I'm all ears, if you want to talk..." Annabeth responded, waiting patiently for Percy to continue.  
"Wait, are you still walking around the city?"

"Yeah..." He responded.

"Come over, we'll talk here."  
Percy nodded and hung up, making his way over to Annabeth's apartment.

 

There was long pause between the time it took Percy to finish explaining himself, and Annabeth's response time.  
He had no idea what she was thinking, and it terrified him.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.  
Annabeth was leaning against her desk, the gears in her mind working furiously. She bit into her lower lip, trying to work out a plausible answer in her mind.

"I'm thinking..." Annabeth mumbled, delicately.

"Yes?"  
She shook her head, preparing him for the worst.

"I don't know Percy. Everything you've described to me just sounds odd... I think I might be out of depth here."

"That doesn't sound very good..." He mumbled, as he paced around the room impatiently.  
He let out a heavy sigh.

"So you have no idea what's wrong with me?" He asked, looking at her.

"I'm sure nothing's wrong with you—"

"Annabeth," He interrupted her before she could continue. "Do you seriously think it's normal for me to dream about Nico, and Tartarus, and Leo, and whatever else at this point? I thought I was over that..." Percy mumbled, slouching on the mattress, deep in thought.

He knew he was being silly, he knew that that he would never be entirely over everything that had happened to him, specially not after six months, but he couldn't help but think... Why couldn't it all be over already? The dreams about the war, among other things had stopped months ago, and then suddenly, POOF!, they were back. Why couldn't he just be normal? Because you're a demigod. You're not normal, a voice spoke in the back of his mind. Annabeth seemed to be lost in concentration, but she still made her way over to him.

"Well, maybe you're not over it Perce, and from what you've told me, it sounds more like your mind's the one playing the tricks on you this time. Maybe this is just the aftermath of being... Well, us."  
Annabeth's voice seemed to be faraway, as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Her blonde curls fell over his arm, and he felt her grab his hand. Her fingers laced his as his mind drifted along the lines of what he had just heard her say.

"It still isn't fair... For us, for any demigod... And the gods,"

"The gods have their own business to attend to Percy..." She said lowly, looking out the frosted window.  
He scoffed.

"So what? We're their kids, and... They can't even pop up and say, 'Hey you guys, great job on not dying! Here's a manual on how to survive everything else, we throw your way! Good luck!' or whatever! I mean, look at us Annabeth, look at our lives this past year! I had you, and honestly that's the only thing that got me through this... But if I hadn't... If I were alone..." Percy shook his head, he didn't want to finish that trail of thoughts.  
Annabeth looked at him, her grey eyes full of worry. She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, slowly backing away.

"I know it's hard Percy, and you're right. But sometimes... You just have to accept the fact that there are somethings you simply can't change." She spoke softly, her eyes looking directly at his, as she ran her hands through the sides of his face.  
She laid her head on the crook of his neck.

 

Percy thought wistfully about what she had said for a few minutes, silence overcoming the small room. His voice was low and coarse, almost a whisper in the cold room. "You're wrong... About not being able to do something..." He said stubbornly, which earned him a strange look from Annabeth.

"Hmm?"

"There's always something we can do..." An idea had formed itself in his mind when he'd gone on his rant about the gods.  
It was probably stupid, and it probably wouldn't work, but it was all he had.

"What are you thinking?" She asked, watching him closely.

"Well..."

 

"I don't know Percy... I mean it can be risky, if the gods found out... It can be dangerous, specially coming from you." Annabeth said, taking a sip from her coffee mug, pacing around the room nervously.  
They still had some details to work on, but as far as he was concerned the idea was a fairly simple one.

"I know, but think about it Annabeth... Say we do succeed with this, we could actually make everything we've been through mean something, and I don't just mean just for now, I mean for everyone who might go through a similar thing, at some point. It's the only thing I can think of that might actually work, besides, I need to do something. I need to do this, at least for me." He said earnestly, waiting for her to reply.

"Yeah I get it, and I hate to say it, but you're right. This is the only thing that might actually work..." She seemed to be lost in thought as she spoke.  
The words fell from her lips, like small droplets of water.

"So you're with me on this?" Percy asked, wondering if maybe she was right.

Maybe what he was suggesting was a stupid, not to mention, reckless. He had to make sure he and his girlfriend were on the same page on this, or else it would never work. Him and Annabeth were a team, she was always the brains behind every operation they carried out, not the other way around, so he had to know she was on board with this.

"We'll have to be careful..." She said thoughtfully.

"Aren't we always?" He responded.

"Percy, I'm serious..." Annabeth spoke sternly, he could feel her glare at him.

"So am I! Are you with me on this?" He responded impatiently, waiting for a straight answer.  
She let out a small breath and rubbed her temple.

"Of course I am, Seaweed Brain! When do you want to start" She looked at him as she tapped her foot on the floor, a small sideways smirk played on his lips.  
Maybe this would work after all.

"Uh..." He mumbled and she sighed.

"Come back here tomorrow afternoon and we'll work it out. Are you completely sure about this?" She asked, almost as if she was trying to convince herself.

"Yes, Annabeth, it's a deal, I'll be here." Percy spoke, eliminating any trace of doubt in her mind.  
He looked out the window, and to much of his surprise it had stopped snowing.

"You have to go?" She asked, crossing her arms, mug in hand, facing him.  
He gave her a half smile.

"I promised my mom I'd be out of here as soon as it stopped snowing." He said reaching down to kiss her cheek.  
She headed for the door, facing him before opening it.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." She said with a small smile, her grey eyes shining as the soft light hit her face.

"Goodbye, Wise Girl." He said, leaning in t give her a small goodbye kiss.

"Goodbye, Seaweed Brain." She spoke against his lips, before letting him leave her apartment.

 

 

Annabeth looked at him, her grey eyes stormier than ever.

Percy couldn't keep his fingers from moving, and there was a familiar pull in his gut, and a nervousness that overpowered his stomach. He knew that if they went through with this, things would never be the same again.

He sat down on the edge her mattress, aggressively tapping his fingers against his thigh. What was he thinking? Did he seriously think he could go ahead with this? Who was he kidding? He looked down at the neat, blank page that rested on his lap. Not a single ink stain covered the page. He'd somehow managed to lose his pen again, or maybe he'd simply thrown it against the wall for the fifteenth time? He didn't know, nor did he care. The point was, he couldn't get his thoughts collected enough to spill them into the page, which was stupid considering this had been his idea. He saw the pen a few feet away, laying on the ground, in a single empty spot in the room. Percy was about to grab it, when Annabeth walked over and handed it to him.  
She sat down besides him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She smelled like lemon soap, and her skin felt soft against him. He let out a small sigh of frustration, and directed his gaze at her.

"I don't know if I can do this..." He said softly, the pen slightly trembling in his hand.

"You can, I know you can." Annabeth spoke into his ear, and gave him a small kiss.  
Her hair curled around her face, making her eyes stand out.

"How?" Percy asked, he directed his gaze once again to the notebook in front of him, wondering whether or not this was the best idea.  
He felt Annabeth shrug next to him.

"Don't think about it too hard, just try and remember what it felt like, that first day... What did you think about? What did you feel? Focus on that, and the write it down." She said, her voice was soft and soothing.

Percy closed his eyes and tried to envision himself five years ago, he tried to thing about how it had all started. Before Gaea, or Kronos, or the gods, or even Annabeth. No, he knew his story hadn't started when he arrived to camp, nor had it started when with the twelve year old boy who had slain the Minotaur out of anger, and sheer dumb luck. It had started before, and so many things had happened in between it was hard to keep track. His story hadn't started with him as a hero, or anything remotely similar, it had started with a troubled kid, who had a knack for blue food, and adored his mom. He let out a deep breath, and let the word flow through him, making the white, blank page come alive with the blue ink. The first words, the beginning of something extraordinary had been permanently seared into the page...

 

Look, I didn't wan't to be a Half-Blood…

 

THE END


End file.
